The report, entitled “Preventing nutrient loss and waste across the food system: Policy actions for high-quality diets”, concludes that regularly eating poor-quality food has become a greater public health threat than malaria, tuberculosis or measles.

Meanwhile, approximately one-third of food produced for human consumption never reaches the consumer's plate or bowl. Nutrient-rich foods, such as fruits, vegetables, seafood and meats are highly perishable, rendering them susceptible to losses throughout increasingly complex food production systems.

According the report, each year more than half of all globally-produced fruits and vegetables are lost or wasted. Moreover, around 25 per cent of all meat produced, equivalent to 75 million cows, goes uneaten.

"To tackle all forms of malnutrition and promote healthy diets, we need to put in place food systemsthat increase the availability, affordability and consumption of fresh, nutrient-rich food for everyone,” said José Graziano da Silva, FAO Director-General.

Reducing food loss and waste, particularly high-nutrient foods, not only has nutritional benefits, but also contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and should be a new priority for improving nutrition.

“Taking specific actions to reduce the losses and waste of fresh and nutritious food is a fundamental part of this effort," asserted Mr. da Silva, who is also a member of the Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition, joint report author. - Read More

Poor diets threaten health more than malaria, tuberculosis, measles – new UN report