"Alarming" malnutrition affects the planet and represents an "unacceptable" weight

Malnutrition "alarming"touches poor countries as rich countries, and represents a weight"unacceptable"on the planet, according to an international report released Thursday.

While hunger has gone back up in the world for over two years, "the situation is alarming":"whether the countries are rich or poor, they experience some form of malnutrition"Growth retardation, micronutrient deficiency, rickets, overweight, or obesity," said Corinna Hawkes, director of the University of London's Nutrition Policy Center.

The annual report, entitled "Global nutrition report", takes stock of all the international data covering nearly 200 countries.These data come from the United Nations, the FAO (the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization) of the World Food Program (WFP), Unicef, the World Health Organization, but also NGOs, foundations and universities.

Increase in sales of industrial infant formula

A total of 141 countries combine at least three forms of malnutrition, stunting for children, anemia and / or overweight for women, including 41 at a very high level, the report says. This one is particularly worried to see "large refugee populations in the Middle East combine stunting, rickets, micronutrient deficiencies and obesity", especially in Lebanon.

Experts are particularly concerned about the strong increase (+ 54.9%) of industrial infant formula sales recorded between 2005 and 2017 worldwide, sayingsignificant (and unprecedented) change in the diet of babies and young children is underway" in the world.

Too much salt, sugar, fat …

The report highlights the role of the food industry and excess salt, sugar and fat in processed foods. 59% of children drink sodas daily in Latin America and the Caribbean, 52% in Africa, 44% in Oceania and 40% in Asia.

Noting that 59 countries have sugar beverage taxes, the report calls on each government to set its nutrition priorities, allocate resources to better quantify and understand the problems that coexist within the same population.

Mexico, which has introduced a tax, has seen sales of soft drinks drop by 10 percent, Hawkes said. "When countries take action, there are real results"she added.