New Delhi, Sep 1 (IANS) Pakistan’s economic pressures are taking a toll on the nutritional well-being of its people, with nutrient-rich foods increasingly becoming unaffordable for large sections of the population as household purchasing power declines, a report has said.

An explainer by DawnNews highlights how the country’s budget and broader economic conditions are affecting what people eat, with families often forced to reduce or eliminate nutritious foods from their diets when faced with rising living costs.

DawnNews Associate Producer Mustafa Siddiqi explains that food insecurity is not limited to a lack of calories. “A person may consume enough calories to avoid visible hunger, but still lack the nutrients needed to remain healthy,” he says, underlining the distinction between having enough food and having a nutritious diet.

As incomes come under pressure, households tend to prioritise cheaper sources of calories, while foods that provide essential vitamins, minerals and other nutrients are among the first expenses to be cut.

This can leave people vulnerable to hidden hunger and malnutrition even when they are consuming sufficient quantities of food, the report stated.

The issue is expected to come under wider discussion at the ACT For Nutrition conference, scheduled to be held on September 2 and 3 at Islamabad’s Serena Hotel. The conference will bring together global humanitarian leaders, international institutions, economists, clinicians, lawyers, frontline organisations and provincial governments to examine Pakistan’s growing malnutrition crisis.

The gathering aims to address the interconnected causes of malnutrition and identify practical solutions, while pushing nutrition higher on the country’s policy and development agenda.

The discussions come at a time when the affordability of nutritious food has emerged as a critical concern, highlighting the need for economic and budgetary policies that do not merely focus on food availability but also ensure that people can afford diets that support good health, as per the report.

--IANS

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