China's dual burden of malnutrition; under-nutrition and over-nutrition (relating to the overweight and obesity), is placing an enormous burden on its public health system and has wider negative impacts on productivity, leading to higher business costs and ultimately, hampering economic growth. Concurrently, rising urbanization and income in developing cities have caused an increased consumption of processed foods and "fast food", accompanied by a higher predisposition to lifestyle-related diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and certain cancers. Despite halving the number, around 158 million people in China are undernourished, meanwhile it has the second highest number of obese people in the world. The report also highlights that while there have been significant improvements over recent years, many countries still face serious challenges with regard to child nutrition, especially those living in rural areas. These include: donors to offer a volume guarantees to ensure purchases of nutrition products at a predetermined quantity and price to encourage investment in production; a nutrition-focused investment fund that could help drive investment into nutrition projects; and appealing to foundations and philanthropists.
China's dual burden of malnutrition; under-nutrition and over-nutrition (relating to the overweight and obesity), is placing an enormous burden on its public health system and has wider negative impacts on productivity, leading to higher business costs and ultimately, hampering economic growth. Despite halving the number, around 158 million people in China are undernourished, meanwhile it has the second highest number of obese people in the world. The report also highlights that while there have been significant improvements over recent years, many countries still face serious challenges with regard to child nutrition, especially those living in rural areas. These include: donors to offer a volume guarantees to ensure purchases of nutrition products at a predetermined quantity and price to encourage investment in production; a nutrition-focused investment fund that could help drive investment into nutrition projects; and appealing to foundations and philanthropists.