Hidden hunger: Concept and challenges

What is hidden hunger?

Hidden hunger is a form of under nutrition that occurs when intake and absorption of vitamins and minerals (such as zinc, iodine, and iron) are too low to sustain good health and development. Factors that contribute to micronutrient deficiencies include poor diet, increased micronutrient needs during certain life stages, such as pregnancy and lactation, and health problems such as diseases, infections, or parasites

In India, according to NFHS-III data, 63% of children below 5 years in urban areas (72% in rural area) are found to be anaemic and 55% of women and 24% of men are found to be anaemic. Anaemia is found to increase with the number of children ever born and decreases with education and higher household wealth.

Solutions to Hidden Hunger:

• Fortifying commercial foods
• Diversifying diet
• Bio fortification
• Supplementation

Biofortification:
Biofortification, or plant breeding for the specific purpose of enhancing the nutritional properties of crop varieties by using better techniques of plant breeding or genetically modifying the plants to incorporate the desired qualities in the crop produced. There have been some reported successes, including high-protein maize, high-carotene sweet potato and cassava and rice (golden rice). This is still in the experimental stage but has a potential to remarkably improve the nutritional status of deprived sections.
Advantages of fortification: This strategy can lead to relatively rapid improvements in the micronutrient status of a population, and at a very reasonable cost, especially if advantage can be taken of existing technology and local distribution networks.

 Essential components to fight hidden hunger must include:

*Behavior-change communication that aims to improve women’s, infants’, and young children’s utilization of health services, clean water, good sanitation, and hygiene to protect them from diseases that interfere with nutrient absorption;
*Messaging that promotes best practices, such as early initiation of exclusive breastfeeding up to 6 months followed by breastfeeding up to 24 months with adequate and sufficient complementary food as an economic and sustainable way to prevent hidden hunger in children;
*Social protection that gives poor people access to nutritious food and shields them from price spikes; and
*A focus on empowering women by increasing access to education.

Conclusion

Eliminating hidden hunger will not be easy. Challenges lie ahead. But if enough resources are allocated, the right policies developed, and the right investments made, these challenges can be overcome. Much still needs to be done to ensure that people around the world gain access to the nutrient-rich foods they and their communities need to combat poor health and reach their development potential.

 It is about time to understand and acknowledge the problem of hidden hunger and form adequate policies to eliminate it at various levels. Food fortification will continue to be an important tool, not only to treat or prevent specific nutritional deficiencies, but also to promote a general state of well-being in different populations, and possibly to prevent certain chronic diseases.

By: Jasmeet Singh