FAO: 3 Billion of World's Population Cannot Afford Healthy Diet

Nearly three billion people, about 40% of the world's population, cannot afford a healthy diet, and another billion people would join them if unforeseen events cut their income by a third, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reported.

This warning came during the launching of a new report on healthy nutrition that monitors trends of consumption of food around the globe.

"FAO" stressed the need for countries to make their systems more resistant to sudden shocks, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which played a large role in the recent global hunger wave.

"The pandemic has highlighted both the resilience and vulnerability of our agri-food systems," said FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu.

The United Nations agency "FAO" stressed the urgent need to enhance its ability to withstand shocks, including extreme weather events and sharp rises in plant and animal diseases and pests.

"While food production and supply chains have historically been vulnerable to extreme weather events, armed conflict, or increases in global food prices, the frequency, and severity of these shocks is increasing," the organization added in its report.

The report indicated that in addition, the disruption of vital transport lines could lead to an increase in food prices for about 845 million people, especially in low-income countries.

The report also included indicators at the country level in more than a hundred member states, by analyzing factors such as transport networks, trade flows, and the availability of healthy and persified diets, while low-income countries generally face much greater challenges, middle-income countries are also at risk, pointing out that Even high-income countries, such as Australia and Canada, are at risk due to the long distances involved in food distribution.