Collaborating to Tackle Malnutrition in Children

Author: Thilo Naidoo

With the effects of the recent pandemic, the scarcity of many raw ingredients and the rising cost of living, the global concern over food insecurity and the risk of hunger has once again been brought to the forefront. Sadly, it’s an issue that’s been building for decades, further exacerbated by climate change and economic shocks, nationally and internationally.

It’s clear that hunger is a global issue that requires urgent action to drive change, brought home by the fact that 811 million people worldwide were considered undernourished in 2020 – a rise of 161 million on the previous year[1]. 

What is food insecurity?

 Food insecurity means being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable and nutritious food. A massive one in four people globally (1.9 billion) are moderately or severely food insecure[2].

 Whilst hunger refers to a personal, physical sensation of discomfort, food insecurity refers to an economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food. Whilst hunger can be caused by food insecurity, the two terms are not interchangeable.

 The impact of food insecurity on the health of a nation is devastating.  Those who cannot access basic levels of nutrition experience poor health leading to higher levels of mortality and stunting (physical under-development) in children. In addition, the knock-on effect of malnutrition can have lasting effects for communities and countries as a whole.

 The greater costs of malnutrition

 When a large section of society lacks good nutrition, this has an impact on the economic development of that country. Bear in mind that economies exist on every level – from national through to household. Whilst poverty drives hunger, it’s clear that hunger keeps a country in a cycle that perpetuates this poverty. When you have a nation that has been stunted at its basic level due to malnutrition, this is replicated in employment, growth and power. Communities simply cannot flourish. 

 What can be done?

Herbalife Nutrition is dedicated to helping eradicate food insecurity and world hunger.  Since 1980, we’ve been on a mission to improve nutritional habits around the world through our innovative nutrition products, such as our meal replacement shakes, and through the support and coaching our independent distributors give their customers to help them reach their lifestyle and wellness goals. Another way we further our mission is through the Herbalife Nutrition Foundation (HNF) – a global, non-profit foundation devoted to improving the lives of children and families around the world.  We do this by supporting community-based charity partners (Casa Herbalife programs) to bring good nutrition and nutrition education into their local communities.  The HNF and its essential work complements our broader Nutrition for Zero Hunger strategy, which aims to support the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal #2 to eradicate world hunger. 

 Last year, HNF donated US$4.7 million to promote good nutrition and active lifestyles and supported more than 216,000 children in 57 countries.

 In South Africa, Herbalife Nutrition Foundation has worked with Acres of Love since 2006 to strengthen the impact of their essential work. With branches in Cape Town and Johannesburg, Acres of Love cares for children with chronic medical conditions such as HIV/AIDS, spina bifida, cerebral palsy, charge syndrome, down syndrome, foetal alcohol syndrome, and audio-visual impairments, to name a few. In 2021, HNF contributed $90 000 towards the Acres of Love organisation to help support the nutrition of children in their care.

 As we seek to help fight food insecurity, the Herbalife Nutrition Foundation has also begun working with charitable foundation, The Power of Nutrition and the World Bank to tackle malnutrition.  Our new two-year partnership will focus on a stunting reduction programme in Rwanda – a condition that affects 149 million children around the world and 33% of children under the age of five in Rwanda – significantly limiting their physical and mental development.  If a nation has an entire generation that’s impacted both physically and mentally by poor nutrition, the economy is also stunted. Furthermore, a child’s education is inevitably impacted, creating a domino effect on entering the workforce and beyond, creating a negative cycle that causes economic growth to stall.

 The partnership will raise awareness and change behaviour around stunting and will positively impact more than a million women and children by opening-up essential local nutrition and health services.  The programme will also support health workers on the ground to deliver vital support where it’s needed.  The Power of Nutrition and the World Bank have made great strides since they began this work in 2018 and have seen stunting levels reduce by 5% in children as a result – a great incentive to drive it down even further.

 It takes a global team

 With the levels of food insecurity, malnutrition, and hunger on the rise, it’s clear that more needs to be done. From food corporations to the major players in agriculture, government departments to those in the supply chain, we must come together and unite to help address this issue and make sure malnutrition remains a key issue on the world’s agenda.