World News | Pakistan’s Food Supply Falls Short of Healthy Diet Needs, FAO Warns; Vegetables and Fruits Face Major Gaps
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. Pakistan’s food supply remains significantly misaligned with national dietary guidelines, with persistent shortages of vegetables, fruits, roots and tubers, and pulses, while cereals and sugar exceed dietary requirements, according to a Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) policy brief cited by Dawn.
Islamabad [Pakistan], October 26 (ANI): Pakistan’s food supply remains significantly misaligned with national dietary guidelines, with persistent shortages of vegetables, fruits, roots and tubers, and pulses, while cereals and sugar exceed dietary requirements, according to a Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) policy brief cited by Dawn.
The policy brief, titled “Food Supply for Healthy Diets in Pakistan,” highlights the need to ensure equitable access to diverse, nutritious, safe and affordable food, particularly as more than 60 per cent of Pakistanis cannot afford a healthy diet, Dawn reported.
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The report warned that the imbalance contributes to high levels of malnutrition, while diet-related noncommunicable diseases continue to rise alongside persistent undernutrition.
Pakistan adopted its food-based dietary guidelines in 2018, establishing evidence-based recommendations on the types and quantities of food required for healthy diets. However, the FAO brief stressed that efforts to encourage healthier eating would remain insufficient unless nutritious foods were also available and accessible to the population.
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According to Dawn, the assessment compared Pakistan’s annual food supply with population-level requirements across 10 food groups identified in the national dietary guidelines, examining trends between 2010 and 2023 to determine the extent of supply gaps and surpluses.
The FAO assessment identified persistent shortages in several essential food groups, particularly vegetables, roots and tubers, fruits, and legumes and pulses.
According to the figures cited by Dawn, Pakistan’s estimated vegetable supply gap widened from a range of 10.9 million to 17.8 million tonnes in 2010 to between 13 million and 21.6 million tonnes in 2023.
The shortfall in fruits also increased substantially during the period, rising from an estimated 1.9 million to 10.3 million tonnes in 2010 to between 3.9 million and 14.3 million tonnes in 2023.
In contrast, the supply of milk and milk products, meat and eggs showed improvement. Fats and oils also moved from a small supply gap in 2010 into the estimated required range in subsequent years, the report said.
The findings highlight a disparity between the availability of essential nutritious foods and the country’s dietary requirements, even as cereals and sugar remain in excess of recommended levels.
Pakistan’s growing population is expected to place further pressure on its food and agricultural systems.
According to the FAO brief cited by Dawn, the country’s population increased from 189.3 million in 2010 to 235.2 million in 2023 and is projected to reach approximately 330 million by 2050.
The report warned that population growth, alongside climate change and other challenges, is likely to intensify demands on the agrifood system, making improvements in food production, distribution and accessibility increasingly important.
To address the imbalance, the FAO has recommended coordinated fiscal and regulatory measures to align agricultural production and trade priorities with national nutritional needs.
The recommendations include improving food distribution systems, reducing post-harvest losses and food waste, and strengthening demand for healthier food products.
The brief also called for updating Pakistan’s food-based dietary guidelines to incorporate nutrition, public health and environmental priorities. It recommended expanding nutrition education and behaviour-change initiatives to encourage healthier dietary choices.
Among the proposed measures are evidence-based taxes on beverages and foods high in sugar, salt and unhealthy fats, alongside front-of-package nutrition labelling to help consumers make informed decisions about their food purchases.
The FAO further urged greater agricultural investment in vegetables, fruits, pulses, roots and tubers, while recommending support for milk production in certain regions.
Additional measures include providing incentives to food processors to meet quality standards and reformulate products to reduce their salt, sugar and unhealthy fat content, Dawn reported. (ANI)
(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)