FAISALABAD, Pakistan: Experts at a conference on Tuesday said nutritional scenario is deteriorating as 45 per cent of the child deaths in Pakistan are due to malnutrition.
They were addressing 26th All Pakistan Food Science Conference arranged by National Institute of Food Science, University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) in collaboration with Pakistan Society of Food Scientists and Technologists.
Addressing the conference, UAF Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan said the country is facing a crisis of malnutrition that was among the worst in the world. He said 32.7 per cent of the children suffered from an iron deficiency, 30.3 per cent vitamin-A and 40 per cent from zinc deficiency. He called for food fortification to address the issue of food security.
He said changes in the lifestyle were aggravating the issue and called for exercise and walk in the routine as these would help lead to a healthy life.
Faculty of Food, Nutrition and Home Sciences, UAF, Dean Prof Dr Masood Sadiq Butt said that in the world, two billion people survive on diets that lack the vital vitamins and nutrients.
Society President Prof Dr Faqir Anjum said that country’s population was standing at the seven billion which will touch nine billion in 2050.
Prof Dr Muhammad Shafique Ch said malnutrition was one of the causes of the deaths in the children. He called for stepping up the efforts for the food fortification in order to fight the challenges of malnutrition.
He urged the scientists, experts, NGOs and all stakeholders for the noble cause.
