COVID-19 has brought to the fore the connection between food, health and quality of life, but also how many of our food systems are failing us, especially where inequality is most prevalent. Poor diets, leading to obesity, disproportionately affect low-income communities that are already experiencing the worst challenges to quality of life. It is because of inequalities that the impact of COVID-19 is three times worse among low-income communities where conditions directly related to food are more prevalent.
The pandemic has powered an unprecedented global appetite for change, from the movements to secure free school meals for disadvantaged children to agricultural reforms taking place worldwide. The urgency created by COVID-19 has demonstrated how quickly the global community can respond and adapt to existential threats, and it is this energy that must be channelled into transforming food systems to be more inclusive, more equitable and more sustainable.
Read more by Special Envoy Agnes Kalibata on UN DESA's SDG Blog here.
