Food fortification ecosystem.

Proper nutrition in the first 1,000 days of a child life is crucial to improved physical and cognitive development. Lack of adequate nutrition can affect a child adversely later in life, leading to poor cognitive skills, reduced schooling and more chances of ending up in poverty.

Despite the undeniable importance of having a balanced food intake in growing years, 1 in 4 of the world's children suffer from stunted growth. In Pakistan, in 2021, 36.94% of the total population between the age of 0-14 is largely affected by malnutrition, whereas four out of ten children under five years of age are stunted while 17.7% suffer from wasting.

According to the findings of National Nutrition Survey 2018, the double burden of malnutrition is becoming increasingly apparent with almost one in three children underweight (28.9%) alongside a high prevalence of overweight (9.5%) in the same age group. Lack of adequate health care, access to a balanced diet during pregnancy, especially in the rural areas of the country is what sets the initial stage for malnourished children.

Pakistan, with a Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rate of 17.7%, is exceeding the emergency threshold, making it one of the biggest threats to our national productivity. Food insecurity, inadequate social and care environment, unhealthy environment, political instability, overpopulation are only some of the factors making the situation worse.

A health economics study by Aga Khan University estimates that the loss in income due to micronutrient deficiencies is about $3 billion annually or 1.33% of GDP, hence proving the theory that undernutrition is both a cause and a consequence of poverty. Poverty and undernutrition are locked in a vicious cycle of child morbidity and mortality, retarded physical and cognitive growth, diminished learning capacity and school performance, that ultimately lower adult productivity and earnings.

As the National Nutrition Survey 2018 indicates, iron is among the top most deficient nutrient in children under 5, among other deficiencies, leading to consequences such as impaired growth, frequent illness, fatigue, shortness of breath and a reduced ability to learn.

In an era, where world together is fighting against food insecurity and scarcity of...