The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) nutrition specialist, Pradiunma Dahal, says 45 per cent of children in Fiji live in food poverty.

He made the comment while being a panelist for “The role of non- traditional groups of actors in the Agri-food systems transformation for more sustainable, healthy and affordable diets in Fiji” discussion, organised by the Consumer Council of Fiji yesterday.

Mr Dahal cited child food poverty statistics stated in the Fiji Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2021 by UNICEF.

The report highlighted that the data was drawn from children consuming four or less food groups out of the existing eight.

“This imbalance/intake of unhealthy food is contributing to a triple burden of malnutrition in the Pacific,” he said.

Mr Dahal said the poverty rate was coupled with a high number of malnutrition, high anaemia, increasing overweight and obesity.

“To prevent this, we need to ensure healthy, nutritious, safe, affordable and sustainable diets for children or adolescents and everyone else,” he said.

While the number is high for Fiji, it is recorded lowest when compared to other Pacific Island countries.

Kiribati records the highest at 91 per cent, 80 per cent in Samoa, 71 per cent in Tuvalu, 66 per cent in the Republic of the Marshall Islands and 47 per cent in Tonga.

Mr Dahal is calling on people to develop clear and easy to understand guidance on healthy diets for children and adolescents.

He said the private sectors also had the responsibility to promote healthy food and healthy eating.

Story by: josefa.babitu@fijisun.com.fj