Current diets remain inadequate, contributing to various forms of malnutrition and raising the risk of non-communicable diseases despite progress to improve access to and consumption of healthy and nutritious foods.

This has resulted in an annual “economic burden” of $1.5 billion per year, or 6.6 per cent of gross domestic product, according to analysis ‘Fill the Nutrient Gap’, released in conjunction with Cambodia’s 10th National Nutrition Day.

The analysis was conducted by the Council for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD) with the support of the World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and a consortium of key stakeholders.

Nearly 80 percent of calories consumed in Cambodia is derived from sugar and rice, with insufficient consumption of nutrient-dense foods, the analysis stated.

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The findings add to existing data from the Cambodia Demographic Health Survey 2021 to 2022, which revealed that less than half (42 percent) of six to 23-month-old children receive a minimally acceptable diet.

Claire Conan, country director of WFP Cambodia, said the aim of the analysis was to inform national policies and actions that can be taken across food, social protection, and health systems to improve nutrition, with a focus on vulnerable populations.

“Cambodia's progress and ambitious goals depend on our ability to address these pressing issues and identify win-win solutions for both nutrition and climate change,” Conan said.

The analysis showed that 16 percent of households cannot afford a nutritious diet, highlighting the importance of social assistance programmes to prevent more families from falling behind.

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Foods like fruits, vegetables, legumes, dairy, eggs, and fats and oils are not available in adequate quantities to meet recommended consumption levels.

Conversely, ultra-processed foods and snacks high in salt, fat and sugar are widely available, affordable and popularised through “heavy” marketing and commercial campaigns, which expose young people to unhealthy habits and diets.

Noting that good nutrition is the bedrock of child survival, growth, and development, UNICEF representative in Cambodia, Dr Will Parks, said well-nourished children learn better, participate in their communities, and are more resilient to illnesses.

Meanwhile, Cambodia’s vulnerability to climate change puts healthy diets at risk. The analysis found that the cost of a nutritious food basket is likely to increase by 10 percent by 2030 and 20 percent by 2050, placing diets further out of reach for those who are already vulnerable.

The analysis stated that improving the nutrition situation is critical to sustain the progress Cambodia has made, and that its goal of achieving upper-middle income status by 2030 depends on an improvement in the nutrition situation.

“While persistent child wasting, widespread micronutrient deficiencies and nutrition disparities remain, the government will prioritise food systems, as indicated in the Pentagonal Strategy,” said Sok Silo, secretary-general of CARD.

“There has been remarkable progress in maternal and child health and nutrition outcomes that we should all be proud of.”

Going forward, the analysis suggested a series of modelled interventions to improve the diets of families and resilience in the context of climate change.

This should be based on the needs of a breastfed child (12 to 23 months), school going children (six to seven years), adolescent girls (14 to 15 years), breastfeeding mothers and adult men.

It should also include food fortification, social cash transfer benefits, school feeding, social behaviour change for healthy diet across all population groups, and regulation of unhealthy and ultra-processed foods and beverages.