Where the malnutrition crisis is worse than COVID-19 crisis

Tens of millions of people are currently going hungry in both Latin America and the Caribbean, spurred on by the continuing Covid-19 pandemic

The malnutrition crisis in the area is reaching its worst levels in decades, with the number of people living without food increasing by 30 percent in just a year, to 13.8 million.

Whilst the Covid pandemic has its own health threat, the associated economic fallout is leading to more and more homes having empty cupboards.

The United Nations found that women are going hungrier than men, with food insecurity also affecting the most vulnerable people in society.

In 2020, 42 percent of women in the region experienced moderate or severe food insecurity, compared with around 32 percent of men.

The regional representative for the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation has labeled the situation as “critical” with the pandemic mostly to blame.