UN Report: 2.1 Million Moroccans are Undernourished

The number of malnourished people in Morocco reached 2.1 million in 2021, making for an undernourishment rate of 5.6% in the country, according to a recent UN report.

Rabat – The number of malnourished people in Morocco reached 2.1 million in 2021, making for an undernourishment rate of 5.6% in the country, according to a recent UN report.

The report, entitled “Near East and North Africa – Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition 2022,” found that Arab states are facing “significant challenges” related to sustainable development goals for hunger and food security.

It was published by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO), and UNICEF, among others.

Moderate or severe food insecurity was prevalent among more than 31% of the population, according to the report, with 3.6 million people living under what the UN classed as severe food insecurity.

Only 6.2 million people were able to afford a healthy diet in Morocco in 2020, a number that makes up 16.7%. The cost of a healthy diet in the country reached $2.8 (MAD 28) during the same period.

Additionally, 12.9% of children under five suffered from stunted growth, a figure that is a continued improvement from the past few years and falls well below the world average.

Conversely, 11.3% of children under 5 in the country are overweight, according to the report.

“While self-sufficiency in food has been a fundamental tenet of Morocco’s development strategy since independence, its growing dependence on key subsidized food imports represents an increasing danger to its socio-economic model,” it highlighted.

Food security and affordability concerns in Morocco are currently a hot button issue, as the country has been suffering from inflation and agricultural issues for the past year or so.

In the weeks leading up to the holy month of Ramadan, Moroccans decried the high prices of essential food supplies, with items like tomatoes and red meat quickly becoming more and more unaffordable.

Many have protested the current government’s inaction in response to the issue, with some even calling for Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch to resign.