Hidden Hunger

by+Li+Zhuoxi

“Hidden hunger” refers to malnutrition caused by a nutrition imbalance or deficiencies of vitamins and minerals as well as excessive intake of other nutrition. Research shows that such malnutrition can lead to birth defects and developmental disabilities， raise the death rate of children and expectant mothers， and severely degrade a nations population quality and economic prospects.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations， in 2016， some 2 billion people on the planet suffered from hidden hunger， 300 million of whom in China. As unveiled by Chinas National Health and Family Planning Commission in its 2015 status report on nourishment and chronic diseases of Chinese residents， most Chinese people have irrational dietary patterns which dont meet intake standards for minerals such as calcium and iron， and vitamins such as A and D. Long-term vitamin shortages and nutrition imbalances result in malnutrition for a large number of people， particularly those plagued by poverty residing in remote mountainous areas， who in turn suffer from various chronic ailments.

Today， nutrient enrichment technology has been widely acknowledged as the most effective means to tackle the hidden hunger. The technology enriches the content of micro-nutrient elements that can be absorbed by human body， found in crops. Since 2004， the International Food Policy Research Institute has managed the Harvest Plus Program globally and Harvest Plus-China in collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Today， Chinese scientists have developed over 10 species of such crops.