40% Suffer Malnutrition: UAF VC

APP

Faisalabad: Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan, Vice Chancellor of the University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF), expressed serious concern over an estimated 40 percent of the population suffering from malnutrition, a pressing issue for authorities.

Addressing the 33rd All Pakistan Food Conference arranged by the National Institute of Food Science & Technology, Faculty of Food Nutrition and Home Sciences, he stressed the launch of an urgent awareness campaign about healthy food and lifestyle, coupled with expedited efforts, as the need of the hour to combat the issue.

He said that malnutrition was not only affecting physical health but also mental health. The UAF, in collaboration with Korea, had set up the Pak-Korea Nutrition Centre (PKNC), under which not only tangible research but also capacity building in the community was being carried out, he added.

He said that the country faced 20 to 40 percent post-harvest loss of agri-productivity that must be addressed as it would play a pivotal role in arresting the issue of malnutrition.

The Vice Chancellor (VC) of Government College Women University Faisalabad (GCWUF), Dr Zille Huma, called for coordinated efforts to address issues at the national level. She said, “We will have to adopt a healthy lifestyle and food habits”.

Dean Faculty of Food Nutrition and Home Sciences Dr Masood Sadiq Butt, DrFaqir Anjum, DG NIFSAT Dr Imran Pasha, Dr Shamim Saeed Secretary PSFST, and others also spoke.