New way of assessing food security to tackle malnutrition

A new study has mapped the flow of energy, protein, fat, essential amino acids and micronutrients from farm to fork, to identify where nutrients are lost. The study shows that far more nutrients than required for the global population are produced, but inefficiencies in the supply chain leave many people nutrient deficient.

“We focus our measure of food security in terms of calories (energy), yet micronutrient malnutrition affects more than two billion people in the world. Moreover, aspects of the food system are reported in tonnes or kilogrammes, and it is hard to put these numbers in the context of how many people this could feed,” said lead author Hanna Ritchie.

“We wanted to assess the full food system in useful metrics – average nutrients per person – across all the nutrients that are essential to good health,” she added.

The researchers quantified digestible protein, fat, calories, amino acids and micronutrients (calcium, zinc, iron, folate and vitamins A, B6, B12 and C) from crop production to food delivered to households. Food and nutrient losses were calculated and normalised to average per person per day. Nutrient supply values were compared to average nutritional requirements to assess whether these would be sufficient by the time the food arrived in households.

They found that food wastage and nutrient losses in the supply chain meant that food reached households with limited calcium and folate, causing deficiencies.

The largest losses of many micronutrients (vitamin A, C, folate and calcium) occur in post-harvest waste of fruits and vegetables, while the largest losses of energy and protein occur in allocation of crops to animal feed and biofuel.

Complicated trade-offs also arise in the production of meat and dairy products. More than 80 per cent of farmland is used for grazing or animal feed production, so livestock are an inefficient way of producing food. However, they remain the only natural dietary source of vitamin B12 and an important source of high-quality protein and the amino acid lysine for many people.

The researchers hope that the findings will help improve food security by showing where to target efforts for improved sufficiency and the possible trade-offs that may arise.

“Governments and development agencies can use this framework to assess food security risks and develop locally specific solutions,” said Prof David Reay, a supporting researcher. The findings emphasise the complexity of ensuring a balanced food system and the necessity of a holistic approach to meet food targets. - Science Daily