Food insecurity: a cause for concern

The famine in the Horn of Africa causing thousands of deaths daily is the result of many factors. The situation in Somalia is caused by the worst drought in half a century, resulting in widespread death of livestock and parched fields. The death toll has caused the United Nations to declare a famine in southern Somalia, the area where the ruthless Islamic groups are creating mayhem.

Food security, according to the World Food Summit 1996, means that "all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food which meets their dietary needs and food preference for an active and healthy life".

From this definition, there is no doubt that people without a means to provide food for themselves and whose source of survival is packaged foods from donor agencies - such as the various world food programmes - are food insecure. Although only Haiti is experiencing a major food-security crisis in the Caribbean, there are pockets of individuals and groups who are experiencing food-security crisis while others are at risk of becoming food insecure across the region.

There are some important components of food security which, when threatened, create food insecurity. Wholesome nutritious food must be available at all times to groups and individuals in a country. They then must have the resources to access this wholesome food at all times and the consumption or utilisation of this wholesome nutritious food are also paramount to ensure food security.

The Jamaican situation

In Jamaica, food is available but there are individuals who do not have consistent access to nutritious foods. They instead consume nutrient-poor foods, leading to insufficient calories and nutrients to contribute to daily living and an active work life. This dilemma can create a vicious cycle of ill-health, which impacts proper utilisation and spiralling ill-health and the inability to earn in order to access food.

Another area which affects utilisation is ignorance. There are individuals such as pregnant women, mothers of infants needing complementary foods, the elderly and those with chronic diseases, who make incorrect choices with their limited knowledge, leading to food insecurity.

There are poor individuals in this country who cannot purchase food consistently to meet their nutritional needs. Although there is the PATH programme, many people cannot get on the programme, for several reasons, and continue to exist in a state of undernutrition. Many of these individuals have chronic non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes and hypertension.

So, as we observe the terrible situation in Somalia, be aware that pockets of hunger exist in Jamaica and there are those who are constantly at risk of food insecurity. We must educate the population as it relates to preventing this, starting in the schools, health centres and through public-education campaigns.

Rosalee M. Brown is a registered dietitian/nutritionist who operates Integrated Nutrition and Health Services; email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.