Can’t let Covid nix food security

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Can’t let Covid nix food security

Thursday, 09 July 2020 | Swapnil Gadhave

Use of technological tools for monitoring and improving food distribution can help India achieve better health outcomes

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed many shortcomings in our healthcare and food security and if corrective action is not taken at the right time, it could pull India back significantly from its path of achieving its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). With the country in a phased unlocking mode, the challenges of bringing back efficiencies in health service deliveries and outreach efforts must also be revisited and re-evaluated. There is sufficient evidence suggesting that moderate levels of food insecurity can increase the risk of all forms of malnutrition in the community and the nutritional status has a significant impact on the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR). It is closely linked with food availability, supply/distribution chain and a number of inter-related factors. With the already struggling economy of the country made worse by the pandemic, the demand for nutritious food supply will gradually decline as the poor, vulnerable and unemployed families will be forced to compromise on their diets, resulting in compromised immunities and an increased vulnerability to deadly infections and co-morbidities. Many Government programmes and initiatives have aimed at boosting agricultural produce and combatting nutritional challenges that existed before the COVID-19 era. These include the National Food Security Mission, Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana, the Integrated Schemes on Oilseeds, Pulses, Palm oil and Maize, the National Nutritional Mission, Mid-Day Meals, Anganwadi systems, Nutritional Rehabilitation Centres and subsidised grain for the poor through the Public Distribution System, to name a few. The National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013, also aims to ensure food and nutrition security for the most vulnerable as well as make access to food a legal right.

The ready-to-eat Energy-Dense-Nutrient Food, a paste made of peanuts, oil, sugar, milk powder, nuts and other nutrition-rich ingredients, used as a medical intervention for Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) affected children along with other meals in Anganwadis, is already being implemented in many States. The need now is to make it a part of a national guideline for SAM. Additionally, besides a poor diet, mothers and children face other risks related to health. Many international donor agencies are concerned about disruptions in imports of crucial nutritional products, including micronutrient supplements and micronutrient-fortified products useful in preventing SAM, as this will pose a serious problem in handling the dual threat of COVID-19 and malnutrition.

The disruption of resources for maternal and child health services is another crisis. Some direct risks include irregular supply of antenatal iron folic acid or multiple micronutrients; child vitamin A supplements; distribution of oral rehydration salts and zinc for diarrhoea; therapeutic food for home treatment of SAM and safe in-person consultations.

The Integrated Child Development Services provide 100 million children under six years of age and pregnant and lactating mothers cooked meals and take-home rations. The programme has been allocated 2.19 million tonnes of rice and wheat, plus Rs 21,933 crore. It further seeks to improve the nutritional intake and health of children aged zero to six years. With the additional allocation of rice/wheat and pulses in response to COVID-19, the fund and food allocation for these programmes has been increased to Rs 2.3 lakh crore with 75 million tonnes of cereals.

Highly subsidised, cooked food made available to the urban poor through the Amma canteens in Tamil Nadu, the Mukhyamantri Dal Bhat Yojana in Jharkhand, the Annapurna Rasoi in Rajasthan, the Aam Aadmi canteen in Delhi and so on, proved to be strong pillars of food security during COVID-19. Many women’s Self-Help Groups in rural areas took care of the immediate food needs of millions of hungry people and stranded labourers. These efforts display a remarkable role played by women and volunteers in sustaining the food system.

Innovative ways to stimulate demand for nutritional food supply must be part of political will. Use of mobile technology to stimulate demand for nutrient-rich foods and to encourage appropriate infant feeding practices, including optimal breastfeeding and healthy diet practices, must be seriously considered. Food transfers should be focussed on staples and easily available fortified crops. Cash transfers or voucher schemes linked to innovative food delivery systems should also be considered to keep the economy going and stimulate demand for fruits and vegetables, dairy and other nutrient-rich foods. School feeding programmes must adopt new methods to safely distribute food during school closures and post-COVID-19 when schools reopen, complying with the new hygiene and physical distancing guidelines.

According to the Global Nutrition Report, 2020, SAM cases in the country continue to rise. At 20.8 per cent, they are way higher than Asia’s average of 9.4 per cent. The last two rounds of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) show that the percentage of Wasted and Severely Wasted has increased from 6.4 per cent to 7.5 per cent in the last two decades. Hence, it will be crucial to boost community-level management of children with SAM with adequate supply of medicines along with protective equipment for frontline workers. Regular monitoring and surveillance will be necessary to assess the emergence of SAM among newly-migrated vulnerable populations. Use of technological tools for monitoring, surveillance and improving food distribution can help India achieve better health outcomes and win the battle against SAM.

 (The writer is a public health expert)

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