There are solutions to the growing challenge of rising hunger and food insecurity, but these solutions require greater attention of policy makers at the global level, according to food and health experts and food company leaders at the SDG Lounge.
Projections show that by 2030, approximately 600 million people will be hungry—or 7% of the world’s population, unless urgent action is taken.
The Human Cost of Hunger
“Access to food is access to life and health,” said Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana, Rwanda Minister of Health. “It makes us who we are.” Unfortunately, he said, access to food is not the same everywhere, particularly in Africa, where almost a third of children suffer from stunting. The problem, he said, lies at the policy level and should be addressed at a global level.
Rwanda is taking matters into its own hands with solutions like distributing a wide spectrum of micronutrients that are contained in a single pill, to pregnant women. The Minister said the life-saving supplements were only made in one facility, in the United States and not widely available. “So, we’ve been saying, ‘why don’t we have more production’ to make it available in the places it is needed most.”
Dr. Nsanzimana’s call-to-action is for leaders at the General Assembly to go beyond policies to take actions on-the-ground, “to save these lives and protect those children because they’ll be the next leaders of this world.”
Investing in Nutrition for a Brighter Future
“There’s a human behind every statistic, and today, one in eight people in the world are Africans. By 2050, one in four will be in Africa”— striking numbers offered by Wawira Njiru, Founder of Food 4 Education. There is an urgent need to invest in solving hunger for the children of the world.
She told the story of Jackson, one of the first kids they fed and now part of a “family” of about 3,500 young people who work for Food 4 Education, providing some 400,000 meals daily. “That story would not have been possible if he had not had the right nutrition. That right nutrition enabled him to stay in school, learn and build opportunities. Solving hunger by investing in nutrition is a way to help kids like Jackson be able to have a life of their own and to live up to their full potential.”
Equitable and high-quality food systems
“There’s enough food, there’s enough money, and there’s so much hunger going on—and that’s the big question, said Hamdi Ulukaya, Founder and CEO of Chobani, and UN SDG Advocate. “In the US,” he said, “about 10 to 15 companies own about 90% of the food distribution, so whatever they make, is what Americans are going to eat. And they must change.” “I wouldn’t make food that I wouldn’t feed to my children,” he added. The answer, he said, lies in balancing profitability with accessibility, and not just focusing on people in need, but providing higher-quality food for everybody. It has to be a win-win-win.
“That’s where the NGO’s, the businesses, and the governments have to come together and say, okay, there’s still a margin for you to be able to make, there’s good food to be made, and be delivered, and everybody can benefit from it,” he said.
Making nutrition accessible and inclusive for diverse needs
And then there were cupcakes! Audience members enjoyed sweet treats made without gluten, nuts, protein-based eggs or butter, or any other allergen foods.
Master baker Melissa Weller combines her chemical engineering expertise with her passion for baking to make food more inclusive for all. In this era of innovation, science in the kitchen isn’t just about better recipes—it’s about creating a more inclusive table for everyone.
While cupcake eaters were sure they were tasting peanut butter, Ms Weller assured them it was allergy-benign sunflower seed butter. Jenn Saesue, co-owner of Fish Cheeks restaurant in NYC, is deathly allergic to peanuts, recalled reacting to tasting it for the first time, and having a reaction based on what her mind told her.
The two have teamed up in an effort toward democratizing food at scale. What lessons have they learned, so far? “I didn’t realize how hard it was, and how excluding for certain populations it was,” Ms Saesue said. “I want this to be able to speak to everyone.”
WATCH FULL SESSION HERE