Ending hunger and malnutrition in all its forms is about more than securing enough food to survive – what people eat must also be nutritious. However, nutritious foods and, by extension, healthy diets are unaffordable and unattainable for vast numbers of families. Approximately 2.8 billion people worldwide – a third of the global population – cannot afford a diet with the minimum variety of food necessary to meet essential nutrition standards. This affordability gap is most acute in low-income countries, where up to 3 in 4 people lack the means for a nutritionally adequate diet.
To fight this deepening polycrisis of hunger and malnutrition, food systems transformations are urgently needed to increase access to nutritious diets. We have evidence-based and highly cost effective solutions, such as the fortification of staple foods like maize flour, rice, wheat flour, cooking oil, and salt with essential vitamins and minerals. Large-scale food fortification is an established and cost-effective food systems intervention with a proven track record of virtually eliminating debilitating micronutrient deficiencies as a public health concern. Food fortification is a powerful intervention that can help to ensure that the food system delivers a more nutritious diet to all.