Unicef has just released a report on child nutrition. It tells a mixed tale: progress is being made, but there are still a vast number of kids who don't get enough to eat. One in every four kids in the world under the age of 5 is underweight, half of these kids are in just three countries: India (which is becoming an economic powerhouse), Pakistan and Bangladesh. The report claims that insufficient food is not the only culprit; the malnutrition in these countries is due more to poor food quality and safety, women's low social status, early marriages and poor sanitation.
The other new economic powerhouse, China, has managed to cut its percent of underweight kids from 19% in 1990 to 8% in 2002. It can be done. Latin America has also done well, reducing the percentage from 7% to 3.6%.
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