Malnutrition

Malnutrition is not only about not having enough to eat. It takes two opposite forms that are increasingly coexisting in the same countries. At one extreme, hundreds of millions of children do not get the nutrients their bodies need to grow and develop. At the other, billions of adults consume more calories than they need, but far fewer nutrients — fueling an epidemic of chronic disease. Both forms are driven by the same underlying failure: food systems that do not deliver nutritious, affordable, accessible food to the people who need it most.

Hunger and obesity are both symptoms of the same broken system: one that produces and distributes food in ways that leave billions without access to adequate nutrition. In low-income countries, families facing poverty are pushed toward cheaper, calorie-dense options, often ultra-processed foods, because fresh produce, protein, and quality ingredients are simply too expensive or unavailable. The result is a paradox: people eating enough calories but starving for nutrients. In wealthier countries, the challenge is different but deeply structural: ultra-processed food dominates supermarket shelves, is heavily marketed, and is designed to be as palatable and habit-forming as possible. Whole neighborhoods in cities across the US, UK, and beyond lack a single supermarket with fresh produce, surrounded instead by fast food chains and convenience stores. Changing what people eat is not simply a matter of education or willpower. It requires changing what is grown, what is subsidized, what is marketed, what is affordable, and what is physically available, all at once.

Each dimension of malnutrition affects different populations in different ways. Pick the one your team wants to dig into, then take it to your worksheet.