HUNGER AND OBESITY: TWO CONTRADICTORY PROBLEMS CONFRONTING UNDERPRIVILEGED PEOPLE

According to recent findings by International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), there are growing cases of obesity and chronic diseases in developing countries still suffering from hunger and infectious diseases — creating a new, double burden for health care systems. Today, low- and middle-income countries account for 80% of global cardiovascular disease mortality. The findings further reveal that in low-income communities, malnutrition and overweight even exist in the same household, with obese mothers tending undernourished children. Ten percent of children worldwide are now overweight or obese, heralding the development. Information from Tanzania Food and Nutrition Centre (TFNC) show that overweight and obesity amongst adults and children is increasing at an alarming rate. While actors in the agricultural sectors are thriving to attain millennium goals of cutting down hunger by half by 2015, Nutritionists, food, social and medical scientists are called upon to find means of dealing with dietary transitions dominated by eating more sugary, fatty and salty foods, and too few fruits, vegetables and fiber. Read more