Experts at inauguration of Nutrition mela at the University of Agriculture Faisalabad said that junk food, unawareness, and unaffordability are worsening schoolchildren malnutrition situation, which is leading cause of deaths in children.

Experts at inauguration of Nutrition mela at the University of Agriculture Faisalabad said that junk food, unawareness, and unaffordability are worsening schoolchildren malnutrition situation, which is leading cause of deaths in children. The two-day festival was arranged by the National Institute of Food Sciences, and Technology, Faculty of Food, Nutrition and Home Science, UAF. The mela comprises healthy food stalls, nutrition assessment, family food street, and others. The Workshop on Nutritional awareness of school going children and review of nutrition and food safety curricular was also arranged at Iqbal Auditorium under the festival. Addressing on the occasion, UAF Vice Chancellor Dr Muhammad Iqbal Zafar said that as many as 1,200 children under five years of age die every day in the country, while are linked to malnutrition. He said that school children are more depended on junk food rather than homemade. “The junk food has become common in our society that is not good for health. It is causing irregularities in our body system, and responsible for unhealthy generation with obesity. The simplicity and traditional food habits would help improve the situation”, he added. He said that UAF has developed a book titled awareness about balanced diet in schoolchildren by the NIFSAT under the project of Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN). Faculty of Food, Nutrition and Home Sciences Dr Masood Sadiq Butt said that 50 percent of population was facing malnutrition. The education about nutritive and balanced food at school level will help overcome the issue. He said that the country is losing 3 percent of Gross Domestic product due to malnutrition whereas loss inflicted by energy crisis is 2 percent of GDP. He called for food fortification to address the issue of malnutrition and food insecurity. He said that effective measures are needed to educate the people about the healthy way of life. Dr Muhammad Azeem, member Food Security and Climate Changes, Planning Commission said that the country was presenting grim picture of malnutrition and hunger and it was at 110 number in the global hunger index. He said that it is a matter of concern that despite having plenty of food, we are facing the malnutrition crisis. He said national food security policy would be announced soon. He urged people to use balances usage of diet and to adopt the physical activities in their daily lives. CEO District Education Authority Rana Muhammad Shabbir said that under the project of GAIN, 200 school teachers are imparted the training about nutritive food in school children at the UAF. He said that playgrounds are presenting the deserted look that is matter of concern. He added that we have to need to promote healthy activities and nutritive food that will not only decrease the burden in hospital but also help country move to the new horizon of development . He said that with GAIN representative Faiz Rasool said that school nutrition program in Brazil had brought the tangible results. There is a need to learn from it. He said that there was the need of food fortification to overcome the issue of malnutrition.. He said that parents must take care of their kids about healthy food habits. National Institute of Food Sciences and Technology Director General Dr Tahir Zahoor said said that there was the need of food fortification to overcome the issue of malnutrition. He said that healthy food was essential for the mental and physical growth of the students. He said that vitamin D deficiency at high with 60 percent; vitamin A 45 percent whereas maternal anemia deficiency stands at 49 and child stunting level 43 percent. Aslam Shaheen from Planning Commission said said that due to imbalance usage of diet, the malnutrition was increasing rapidly in the society. He said that we should put focus of our children on the homemade dishes full of energy. He said that the government was making all out efforts to address the issue at the national level. Nutritionist Binish Sarwar Khan also spoke on the occasion