The Sustainable Development Goals are Unattainable without a Change of Nutritional Strategy
Main Article Content
Adrian Dubock
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9429-8423
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9429-8423
Abstract
For decades, vitamin A supplementation and chemical fortification have been used to reduce micronutrient malnutrition, a key part of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 2: "Zero Hunger" by 2030. Despite these efforts, 50% of pre-school children and 66% of women of reproductive age globally remain malnourished, with nearly 900 million children vitamin A deficient. Micronutrient deficiency, especially in Low -and-Middle-Income-countries, impedes individual and population productivity.
However, neither supplementation nor chemical fortification is sustainable or addresses the root causes of micronutrient deficiencies, as both require continuous external funding. The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition’s (GAIN’s) focus on Large-Scale- Food-Fortification with chemicals, while helpful, remains insufficient and unsustainable.
In 2009, Prof. Al Sommer emphasized the need for sustainable solutions, with biofortification, including Golden Rice, offering promising alternatives. The World Bank recommended biofortified crops, including specifically GMO-crops like Golden Rice, in 2017 as a sustainable option. Recurrent costs are minimal once seeds are available.
Golden Rice, now available in Bangladesh, requires only one local policy decision for implementation, setting a precedent for other crops.
The Philippine Government has adopted Golden Rice since 2021 to improve public health. However, Greenpeace has opposed it globally for decades, and in 2022, they challenged the Government’s efforts. On August 15, 2024, the Philippines Appeal Court upheld Greenpeace’s complaint, halting Golden Rice adoption.
Golden Rice has only been developed in Bangladesh and the Philippines. There is an urgent need to counteract Greenpeace’s malign influence and expand the countries where Golden Rice and eventually all biofortified crops can be deployed as a sustainable public health intervention
Keywords:
SDG, Golden Rice, biofortification, LSFF, Greenpeace, GAIN
Article Details
How to Cite
DUBOCK, Adrian.
The Sustainable Development Goals are Unattainable without a Change of Nutritional Strategy.
Medical Research Archives, [S.l.], v. 12, n. 10, oct. 2024.
ISSN 2375-1924.
Available at: <https://esmed.org/MRA/mra/article/view/5818>. Date accessed: 22 dec. 2024.
doi: https://doi.org/10.18103/mra.v12i10.5818.
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The Medical Research Archives grants authors the right to publish and reproduce the unrevised contribution in whole or in part at any time and in any form for any scholarly non-commercial purpose with the condition that all publications of the contribution include a full citation to the journal as published by the Medical Research Archives.
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19. Song P, Davies A, Li S, et al. The prevalence of vitamin A deficiencyand its public health significance in children in low-and middle-income countries:A systematic review and modelling analysis. J Glob Heal. 2023;13(04084). doi:10.7189/jogh.13.04084
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