More than one in four children under the age of five live in ‘severe’ food poverty worldwide, UNICEF has warned – meaning more than 180 million children are at risk of negative effects on their growth and development.
“Severe food poverty in children describes children who survive on a severely deprived diet, such that they consume only two or fewer food groups,” said Harriet Torlesse, lead author of a new UNICEF report published late Wednesday. “It’s shocking in this day and age when we know what needs to be done.”
UNICEF recommends that young children eat foods from five of eight main groups every day: breast milk; grains, roots, tubers and plantains; legumes, nuts and seeds; dairy; meat, poultry and fish; Eggs; vitamin A-rich fruits and vegetables; and other fruits and vegetables.
