Malnutrition is the largest contributor to disease in the world. Over 4 billion people are either micronutrient deficient or overweight. Obesity, micronutrient deficiencies, and undernourishment comprise the triple burden of malnutrition. It is essential to ensure that all people have access to the correct micronutrients necessary for complete human health while supporting the continuation of an overall healthy lifestyle.
[Humana Communitas]: Residents of many urban low-income communities of color walk outside their doors to find no grocery stores, farmers’ markets, or other sources of fresh food. Instead, they are bombarded by fast food and convenience stores selling high-fat, high-sugar, processed foods. Rural residents often face a different type of challenge—a lack of any nearby food options.
[Mediterranean Foodscape]: Without access to healthy foods, a nutritious diet and good health are out of reach. And without grocery stores and other fresh food retailers, communities are missing the commercial hubs that make neighborhoods livable and help local economies thrive. “Food deserts”—areas with low access to healthy foods—have become an important topic of interest among public health advocates and the media, as well as a dynamic and fast-growing field of research. With the recognition of obesity (and childhood obesity) crises and the increasing understanding of how the neighborhood environment influences health, solving the food desert problem is now rising to the forefront of policy discussions.
Participants will investigate, describe and illustrate the components of the global food system, interpret and apply nutrition concepts to evaluate and improve the nutritional health and food access of communities, including opportunities for the design a public social policy that also takes care of the vulnerable and how to build Food Security and Malnutrition in a Western Society. Interpret the relation between and effects of food insecurity on health and well-being.