News

Maplecroft, WFP and BASF release map study assessing global malnutrition and dietary deficiencies – Africa most at risk

08/11/2010

African nations, including DR Congo, Niger and Mali, dominate the countries rated as ‘extreme risk’ in five new indexes evaluating vitamin and mineral deficiencies and hunger in global populations:

The indexes, developed by risk advisory firm Maplecroft in conjunction with the UN’s World Food Programme, have been produced for BASF, who is a leader in the field of food fortification. The research includes the Hunger Index;  Accumulative Mineral and Vitamin Deficiency Index; Iron Deficiency Index; Vitamin A Deficiency Index; and GDP Losses due to Mineral and Vitamin Deficiency Index.

The research highlights the ongoing struggle of the world’s poorest nations to access nutrient rich foods to enable a full and healthy life. According to Maplecroft, the compelling evidence is that the combination of the global financial crisis, coupled with recent trends in commodity markets has jeopardised budgets for health and education, as well leading to high food prices. Reduced access to simple but vital micronutrients has accelerated the numbers of people at risk of vitamin and mineral deficiencies, which are estimated to account for 7.3% of the global disease burden.

Yet micronutrients are inexpensive commodities and can be easily integrated into existing food fortification programmes. The studies of the Copenhagen Consensus conclude that micronutrient programming leads to substantial reductions in health-care costs, fewer deaths, improved human capacity and increased economic activity. This demonstrates that micronutrient initiatives can provide a low cost solution to the problems of vitamin and mineral deficiencies, while also delivering a strong return on investment not easily paralleled by other economic or health mechanisms.

In all five indexes African nations feature most heavily in the ‘extreme risk’ category:

Hunger Index 2010

Legend
Extreme risk
High risk
Medium risk
Low risk
No Data

Rank	Country	Rating
1	DR Congo	Extreme
2	Eritrea	Extreme
3	Burundi	Extreme
4	Haiti	Extreme
5	Comoros	Extreme

Rank	Country	Rating
6	Sierra Leone	Extreme
7	Zambia	Extreme
8	Ethiopia	Extreme
9	Angola	Extreme
10	C.A.R	Extreme

© Maplecroft 2010

• 23 out of top 25 nations most affected by hunger
  Including: DR Congo (1), Eritrea (2) and Burundi (3)
• 23 out of top 27 nations most affected by mineral and vitamin deficiency
  Including: Angola (1), Ethiopia (2), DR Congo (3)
• 26 out of top 34 nations most affected by vitamin A deficiency
  Including: Niger (1), Central African Republic (2) and Mali (3)
• 28 out of top 42 nations most affected by iron deficiency
  Including: Benin (2), Gambia (3) and Nigeria (4)
• 25 out of top 33 nations most affected by GDP losses due to mineral and vitamin deficiency
  Including: Mali (3), Niger (4) and Burkina Faso (5)

“Vitamins and minerals play a crucial role in human growth and development, particularly of children and adolescents. They are therefore vital in maintaining healthy and productive populations,” said Maplecroft’s CEO, Professor Alyson Warhurst. “The indirect costs include a loss of productivity and resultant income due to premature death, disability and absenteeism. In the poorest nations economic losses can be as much as 2% of GDP. Nutritional deficiencies also impact the health of women and children and lead to lower educational and occupation opportunities. Intervention strategies should focus on both improving the status of women, particularly at adolescence and introducing food fortification programmes alongside educational awareness.”

Each of the indexes will be accompanied by an interactive map and the full results will be presented by BASF at the “Addressing Malnutrition at Base of Pyramid” event, scheduled for 8/9 November in New York. The results will also be made publicly available via the BASF and Maplecroft websites.

For more information contact Maplecroft at info@maplecroft.com or call +44 (0)1225 420000.

Register for trial access to see examples of Maplecroft's indices, interactive maps, scorecards, briefings and in-depth reports.