Scarce resources and rising prices are some of the factors that make it difficult to have a balanced and nutritious diet in the Caribbean.
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Food insecurity is growing among the Caribbean population.
Around 40 percent of the population of the Anglo-Saxon Caribbean suffer from the consequences of food insecurityas revealed last Wednesday by a survey conducted by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the United Nations World Food Program (WFP).
The percentage corresponds to about 2.8 million people and indicates a 72 percent increase in the indicator compared to 2020.
“The findings, which highlight the ongoing impact of the pandemic two years later, show a deterioration in food consumption and diet, with 25 percent of respondents eating less of their favorite foods, 30 percent skipping meals or eating less than usual, and 5 percent doing the same spend a whole day without eating,” WFP said in an official statement.
The survey, with 20,000 respondents as a sample, allows us to know the impact of the pandemic on people’s lives and diets, to restate many of the region’s key objectives in line with the new context.
The Executive Director of the CARICOM Secretariat’s Agricultural and Agro-Industrial Development Programme, Shaun Baugh, highlighted the need Governments find “short- and medium-term” solutions for their people.
“Innovation in agri-food systems and regional supply chains, as well as continued support for the most vulnerable households, will be essential to improve the resilience of regional food systems so that prices can remain as stable as possible,” said the Minister and high commissioner .
Inflation, scarcity of resources, rising prices make a balanced and nutritious diet difficult. Meanwhile, the organization said the Russia-Ukraine conflict could further affect Caribbean nations’ access to supplies.
An illustrative number is that 93 percent of respondents said they paid for groceries at prices above the standard amount.