The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise in food prices are preventing nearly two billion people in the Asia-Pacific region from having access to healthy diets, stated United Nations agencies.

The 2020 Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition has suggested that the poor have been worst affected in the region and are forced to select cheaper and less nutritious alternatives. The report has been released jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO). The COVID-19 pandemic and a dearth of good working opportunities, besides significant uncertainty of food systems and markets, has worsened the inequality. Poor families with declining incomes have to choose cheaper, less nutritious foods… (UN, January 20, 2021)