Recently, UNICEF released “Child Nutrition Report 2024”– titled as “Child Food Poverty: Nutrition deprivation in early childhood”.

Child Nutrition Report

• The report examines the status, trends, inequities and drivers of child food poverty in early childhood.
• The report also outlines an agenda for tackling the problem, including actions to transform food systems, leverage health systems, and activate social protection systems in ways that put children’s right to food and nutrition in early childhood at the centre.

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Key Findings of the Child Nutrition Report 2024

• High Food Poverty: Globally, one in four children are living in severe child food poverty in early childhood, amounting to 181 million children under 5 years of age.
  • Over two-thirds of the 181 million young children living in severe food poverty live in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, with 20 countries accounting for 65% of the children living in severe food poverty.
  • These countries are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, Somalia, South Africa, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, and Yemen.
• Non-Uniform Progress: Progress towards ending severe child food poverty is slow, but some regions and countries are proving that progress is possible and is happening.
• Major Drivers of Severe Child Food Poverty:
  • Poor food environments for children
  • Poor feeding practices in early childhood
  • Household income poverty affecting children and their families
  • The food, health and social protection systems are failing children’s right to good food and nutrition. 
  • Conflicts & Shocks: The global food and nutrition crisis and localized conflicts and climatic shocks are intensifying severe child food poverty, especially in fragile countries.
• Concerns: 
  • Deteriorating Diet Quality: Children living in severe child food poverty are missing out on many nutrient-rich foods, while unhealthy foods are becoming entrenched in the diets of these children.
  • Connection to Undernutrition: Severe child food poverty is driving child undernutrition: the prevalence of severe child food poverty is three times higher in countries with a high prevalence of child stunting.

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Recommendations by UNICEF to End Severe Child Poverty

UNICEF calls on national governments, development and humanitarian partners, donors, civil society and media, academic and research organizations to:

• Elevate Child Food Poverty Reduction: 
  • To achieve global and national nutrition and development goals and a metric of success in meeting children’s right to food and nutrition.
  • To commit resources to end child food poverty.
• Strengthen Data Systems: 
  • To assess the prevalence and severity of child food poverty.
  • To detect increases in child food poverty early, including in fragile and humanitarian contexts.
  • To track national and global progress in reducing severe child food poverty.
• Transform Food Systems: To ensure food environments make nutritious, diverse and healthy foods the most accessible, affordable and desirable option for feeding young children, and the food and beverage industry complies with policies to protect against unhealthy items.
• Leverage Health Systems: To deliver essential nutrition services, including counselling and support on child feeding, to prevent and treat child malnutrition, prioritizing the most vulnerable children.
• Activate Social Protection Systems: To address income poverty in ways that are responsive to the food and nutrition needs of the most vulnerable children and their families, including social transfers to protect children at highest risk of child food poverty.

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