Santiago de Chile – Hunger, obesity and other forms of malnutrition will continue to increase if there is no profound change in food systems, said José Graziano da Silva, Director General of the United Nations Food Organization and Agriculture (FAO).
Graziano da Silva took part in Congreso Futuro, the most important scientific dissemination event in Latin America, together with international experts dedicated to promoting healthy and sustainable food with the environment.
The Director General of FAO said that the problem of hunger and overweight in the world is not the lack of food, but the lack of access to healthy and nutritious food for the entire population. “The paradox is that today we have almost the same number of hungry people as obese people and this is growing rapidly,” he said.
According to the latest FAO report, in 2017 hunger affected 821 million people and the proportion of adult obesity reached 13.3 percent in 2016, equivalent to 672 million people.
In his speech, the Director General of FAO stressed that the reason for the increase in hunger and obesity is that our food systems are not providing healthy diets. “The food systems we have do not work, they are designed for something other than guaranteeing good nutrition. The challenge is to redesign them, “he said.
Graziano da Silva stressed that obesity should be treated as a public issue, with public policies and not only as an individual problem of people. “The problem of obesity is more complex than that of hunger. Hunger is confined to specific areas, especially those hit by conflicts, droughts and extreme poverty, but obesity is everywhere and continues to grow throughout the world, “he said.
In this regard, the Director General explained that the food system is the chain that includes the soil, production, distribution and storage and reaches the restaurants and houses “but does not end there.” “There is a part that is not visible and that is the one that has more power, a ‘superstructure’ that conditions healthy diets. I refer to institutions, laws and regulatory frameworks. ”
Graziano da Silva recalled that, globally, the main causes of hunger are armed conflicts and the impact of climate change. “Today 60 percent of people who are hungry are in countries that have conflicts and 40 percent are in countries that have suffered from a drought, one of the most devastating phenomena for production,” he said.
Faced with all these challenges, Graziano da Silva called for rapid and decisive action jointly with governments, the private sector, civil society, academia and research. “We all have a role to play to ensure food security,” he said.
Along with the Director General of FAO, participated Rosana Oliveira, who has done his research in plant-based food; the doctor in Agricultural Technology and Management Systems, Rabi Mohtar, and the Director of the Food Policy Center of the University of London, Corinna Hawkes.