Reshaping Food Systems to improve Nutrition and Health in the Eastern Mediterranean Region

Abstract

This detailed and comprehensive study examines nutrition and health in the World Health Organization (WHO) Eastern Mediterranean Region, presenting the six game-changing food systems actions proposed by the WHO and the progress of their implementation in the region. The WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region is a particularly complex place to study: an area of economic contrasts with changing dietary patterns and stark differences between high levels of malnutrition and a prevalence of overweight and obesity. As a result, actions to improve the nutritional situation of the population are urgently sought. The strategies explored in this book offer a unique opportunity to change food systems all over the world, addressing aspects including sustainable food production, the impact of marketing and labelling on behaviour, and the effect of global events such as climate change, war and the COVID-19 pandemic. Reshaping Food Systems is an essential read at a time when malnutrition in all its forms, including undernourishment, micronutrient deficiencies and overweight and obesity, pose a serious threat to global health, and is of particular interest for policymakers working in nutrition and public health.

Progress in Egypt’s Sustainable Development Goals from a Public Health Nutrition Perspective

“…Stunting and wasting rates in countries with conflict like Syria (27.9 and 11.5 in 2010), Yemen (46.4 and 16.4 in 2013), Libya (38.1and 10.2 in 2014), and Sudan (36.4 and 13.6 in 2019) were higher than those reported in Egypt. (21) . The lowest stunting rate (6.4 %) was reported in Kuwait.…”

“…The lowest stunting rate (6.4 %) was reported in Kuwait. (21) Between 2014 and 2021, data indicated worsening anemia among children under 5 and school age (Figure 2). The percentage increased among children aged 6-59 months from 27% to 43% (higher than the regional average of 42%) (17) and from 20% to 41.6% (highest in the Red Sea, the New Valley, and Assiut Governorates) among school-age children.…”

“…In the Gulf region, Egypt, and Lebanon, as well as, to a lesser extent, in Libya and Iraq, rates were especially high. (21) Egypt has made no progress towards its adult obesity goal, with an estimated 50.0% of adult women and 26.4% of adult men being obese. (32) .…”

“…The prevalence of adult obesity appears to be on the rise in the majority of countries in the region, with the trend being most pronounced in the UAE, Tunisia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Lebanon. (11,21) As per FAO Egypt food balance sheets, vegetable consumption among Egyptians decreased from 132 kcal/capita/day in 2010 to 103 kcal/capita/day in 2020 (23). In contrast, fat and sugar consumption increased from 57.7 g/capita/day in 2014 to 62.5 g/capita/day in 2020 and from 253 kcal/capita/day in 2010 to 264 kcal/capita/day in 2020, respectively (23).…”