Nutrition experts have said that there has been significant progress in food security and reducing hunger in the country. But, the nutritional level has not been achieved in comparison.
He highlighted the need to diversify food, keep it adulterated and increase awareness about nutrition to ensure nutritional levels, especially for the poor community.
Experts said this during a roundtable titled ‘Role of Nutrition Smart Communities in Improving Nutrition Security for Rural Poor Communities’ held at Prothom Alo office in the Caravan Bazaar area of the city on Thursday.
Germany-based development organization Welthungerhilfe organized the roundtable in collaboration with Prothom Alo.
During the discussion, Professor Shah Ghulam Nabi, director of the government’s Institute of Public Health Nutrition, said, “Generally, the issue of food security takes priority in our food-related discussions. Only issues like ‘whether it filled the stomach and gave satisfaction or not’ are discussed.
“There is no consideration of how nutritious the food is. Rice is the staple food of our country and it fulfills our carbohydrate requirement. Though it satisfies the hunger but does not meet the required level of nutrition,” he said.