Child food poverty rising in Pacific says UNICEF

A new study by UNICEF has revealed that child food poverty is increasing in the Pacific.

The highest rate has been recorded in Kiribati with 91 percent of children living in food poverty.

This is followed by Samoa at 80 percent, Tuvalu at 71 percent, and Tonga at 47 percent.

Fiji follows with 45 percent of children living in food poverty.

Child food poverty is a state where young children are not fed the bare minimum number of food groups they need in early childhood.

UNICEF defines children living in food poverty as the percentage of children under five years of age consuming foods and beverages from four or fewer of the eight defined food groups.

Pacific nutrition specialist Pradiumna Dahal said the remedy lies in teaching children good eating habits from birth, ensuring healthy food is affordable, and in restricting the marketing of unhealthy food in the Pacific.

He said the imbalance in intake of healthy food contributed to the triple burden of malnutrition in the Pacific with high levels of under nutrition, high rates of anaemia, and increasing overweight and obesity levels.

Every child has the right to food and nutrition," UNICEF executive director Catherine Russell said.

"Especially now, with so many millions of children at risk, it is up to all of us to help realise that right for every child - and prevent food poverty from casting a shadow over the futures of yet another generation of children."