Diversified, safe and nutritious diet for all children.
Malnutrition is remained major health, economic and social problem in Ethiopia. Inadequate dietary intake is the major cause of malnutrition, specifically undernutrition. The Ethiopian diet is centered around various staple foods, with injera being the most prominent. The food and nutrition strategy baseline assessment preliminary report showed that a very low percent of (7%) women consumed the minimum recommended number food groups. The Ethiopian Food Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDG) recommend that adults need to consume six food groups in a day and four food groups at a plate.
The six food groups recommended by the Ethiopian Food Based Dietary Guideline are;
- Cereal grains, roots, and tubers
- Fruits and vegetables
- Animal source foods
- Legumes
- Nuts and oil seeds
- Fats and oils
However, very few (0.1%) women of reductive age consumed the recommended six food groups in a day. Due to this low dietary diversity, children and women in reproductive age suffer from micronutrient deficiencies especially iron and folate deficiency. According to the same report, two in three women in reproductive age were deficient in one or more micronutrients and the burden is highest in the urban (73%) as compared to the rural areas (62%).
The dietary consumption pattern of most Ethiopians is based on staple foods like cereal grains, root crops and tubers. The consumption of nutrient dense crops and animal sourced foods is very low due to lack of awareness and low availability and accessibility of the foods. Biofortified crops like Orange fleshed sweet potato (OFSP), Quality protein maize and Iron and Zink reach bean are a good source of micronutrients. However, biofortified crops are not produced and consumed in an extent to cover the needs of the community.
Food safety refers to the practices and conditions necessary to ensure that food is safe for consumption, free from contaminants, and does not pose any health risks to consumers.
Food safety is also another major issue to ensure food security and nutrition in our country. Inappropriate use of chemicals like pesticides, insecticides and herbicides, poor waste management of wastes from factories, mixing factory wastes with water bodies, inappropriate storage of food commodities, inadequate handling of food, and unhealthy livestock feeds are some of the causes of food safety issues. “If not safe, it is not food” is a theme used to ensure food safety along the food value chain.
Therefore, children should consume diversified, safe, and nutritious foods for their growth, development, and prosperous life.
