FAO report says A&B, Caribbean face mounting challenges to ensure affordable healthy diets

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(Cover page of the FAO report)
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By Robert Andre Emmanuel

[email protected]

A new United Nations report from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) revealed that the Caribbean, including Antigua and Barbuda, faces mounting challenges in ensuring affordable healthy diets amid increasing climate threats.

The 2024 Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition shows that the Caribbean is the most expensive place in Latin America and the Caribbean for a healthy diet, costing $5.16 per person daily, or about $1,882 annually.

This cost comes from the ‘cost of a healthy diet’ (CoHD) indicator, which looks at the cheapest healthy food options available locally to meet energy and nutritional needs.

In 2022, Latin America and the Caribbean had the highest cost for a healthy diet at 4.56 purchasing power parity (PPP) dollars per person daily, higher than the global average of 3.96 PPP dollars.

The report highlighted health trends in Antigua and Barbuda, where in 2022, approximately one-third of adults was affected by obesity.

As part of the Caribbean region, Antigua and Barbuda faces heightened exposure to climate extremes, with the area ranking as the second most climate-exposed region globally after Asia.

The report indicates an increase in the frequency of storms and other climate-related events across the Caribbean between 1990 and 2023, posing additional challenges to food security and agricultural stability.

Mario Lubetkin, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative, emphasized the urgency of the situation, noting that “climate variability and extreme events such as droughts, floods, and storms are reducing agricultural productivity, disrupting food supply chains, and increasing prices.”

The findings came as part of a comprehensive regional assessment by the FAO, the World Food Programme (WFP), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), UNICEF, and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

The report emphasized the need for strengthened climate resilience in food systems, particularly crucial for island nations like Antigua and Barbuda that face unique vulnerabilities to climate extremes.

“These challenges suggest an urgent need for comprehensive action,” Lubetkin added, emphasizing the importance of implementing early warning systems and anticipatory actions to boost production capacity and food system resilience.

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