ISLAMABAD: The nutrition wing of the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) revealed in a recent report that nearly 80pc of Pakistani children between the ages of six and 23 months do not get a balanced diet, leading to stunted growth.

More than half of all infants do not receive solid, semi-solid or soft food during the recommended period, while just 22pc of children up to the age of two receive a diet that meets the minimum standards of dietary diversity – of four or more food groups out of seven.

Nutrition Wing head Dr Baseer Khan Achakzai told Dawn the last national nutrition survey had been held in 2011, and a new one was needed so future policy may be devised in light of its findings.

“The survey, which has been held across the country and took almost six months, shows that children do not get sufficient proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and other important parts of a diet,” he said.

“Affordability is the main problem in accessing a nutritious diet, as fruits, eggs and meat are expensive. Vitamin B12, vitamin A, calcium and iron are hardly available in local foods,” he said.

“We looked at the cost of diets across the country and it was revealed that the cost of a nutritious diet ranges between Rs104,000 to Rs171,300 annually per household.”

Current consumption patterns are unlikely to change unless household income increases, Dr Achakzai said, as the availability of major food items in the market is not an issue.

He added that more than 40pc of Pakistani children are stunted.

“We have suggested four major steps to address the issue. Poor families should be given vitamins on the community level, the breastfeeding ordinance needs to be implemented and it should be mentioned on the formula that it is not an alternative to mother’s milk.

“Food fortification should be done through flour and oil by including vitamins A and D and folic acid. Bio-diversification is also required, as some verities of wheat have zinc and folic acid. Food baskets should be provided to the poor through the Benazir Income Support Programme,” he said.

A ministry official who asked not to be named said it has been suggested to the Prime Minister’s Office that Rs400 million have to be spent on a district with a population of one million every year.

“The percentage of stunted children can be reduced by 15 to 20pc if Rs400m is spent on a population of 1m continuously for four years,” he said.

According to the National Complementary Feeding Assessment report, the survey was conducted in 17 livelihood zones in 12 districts across four provinces. It was commissioned by Unicef Pakistan with funding from the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development.

The study found that the recommended intakes of energy, protein, fat, all nine vitamins and four minerals can be met using foods available in the local market unless restricted by economic constraints and cultural practices.

Very poor and poor households cannot afford a nutritious diet in almost all livelihood zones given their current level of income.

The main recommendations were that dietary modification is needed to improve the quality, composition and affordability of a nutritious diet. Cheap nutritious options should be promoted, as should self-production of some crops and vegetables and cow, buffalo and goat milk to improve the quality, composition and affordability of a nutritious diet.

Published in Dawn, September 14th, 2018