ABSTRACT
Sufficient and nutritious rich food production is needed for developing countries. Food security is not only the intake adequate energy, but ensuring satisfactory intake of essential micronutrients (as vitamin A, zinc, iron, iodine, etc.). Considering food insecurity, malnutrition has taken a central point along with availability and accessibility of food. In South Asian developing countries, especially Pakistan, malnutrition continues to be a major public health problem as well as potential cause of diseases. Among vulnerable populations malnutrition is also the key contributor of wasting, stunting, as well as underweight with drastic economic consequences. The people affected by micronutrients insufficiency are mounting mainly due to the intake of food lacking optimal nutritional composition and non-diversity of food intake. The deficiency of micronutrients causes complications like reduced intelligence, learning disabilities, health damage, low work productivity, and reproduction damage in humans. The main reason behind food insecurity is high prices, low purchasing powers, food preferences, and intake of one type of food. Moreover, inadequate food supply, suboptimal breast feeding, micronutrient deficiencies, poor health care system, increased healthcare costs, inappropriate child’s care, and the caregiver’s low household income, illiteracy, unhygienic, and substandard living are also the sad facts. The vicious cycle of poverty is the principal cause for growing food insecurity and malnutrition prevalence in South Asia. For economic prosperity and a healthier future, global organizations, NGOs, local governments, program managers, academia, industry, and the society in particular should pay attention to the challenge to completely confiscate malnutrition from the region. Accordingly, the current review is an effort to access food availability and nutritional status of the people of Pakistan as well as investigates food consumption status, factors for food insecurity, and possible ways for ensuring food and nutritional security.
