ISLAMABAD: Pakistan`s food supply remains sharply misaligned with national dietary guidelines, with major shortages of vegetables, fruits, roots and tubers, and pulses, while cereals and sugar remain in excess of dietary requirements, according to a Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) policy brief.

FAO`s new policy brief, `Food Supply for Healthy Diets in Pakistan,` says ensuring equitable access to diverse, nutritious, safe and affordable foods is a policy imperative, particularly as more than 60 per cent of Pakistanis cannot afford a healthy diet.

The situation contributes to high rates of malnutrition, while diet-related noncommunicable diseases are rising alongside persistent undernutrition, the report says.

Pakistan adopted its food-based dietary guidelines in 2018, setting out evidence-based recommendations for the types and quantities of foods needed for healthy diets. But efforts to promote healthy eating cannot succeed unless nutritious foods are available and accessible,the brief says.

The assessment compared Pakistan`s annual food supply with population-level requirements across 10 dietary guideline food groups from 2010 to 2023, identifying surpluses and gaps.

Population growth is adding pressure.

Pakistan`s population increased from 189.3 million in 2010 to 235.2m in 2023 and is projected to reach about 330m by 2050. Climate change and other challenges are expected to intensify demands on the agrifood system.

The report identifies persistent shortages in several nutritious food groups, particularly vegetables, roots and tubers, fruits, and legumes and pulses.

The estimated vegetable supply gap widened from 10.9m to 17.8m tonnes in 2010 to 13m to 21.6 m tonnes in 2023. For fruits, the gap increased from 1.9m to 10.3m tonnes to 3.9m to 14.3m tonnes over the same period.

However, milk, milk products, meat and eggs showed improvement. Fats and oilsmoved from a small gap in 2010 into the estimated required range in subsequent years.

To address the imbalance, FAO recommends coordinated fiscal and regulatory measures to realign agricultural production and trade priorities, improve food distribution, reduce postharvest losses and food waste, and strengthen demand for healthy foods.

The brief calls for updating Pakistan`s dietary guidelines to reflect nutrition, health and environmental priorities, along with nutrition education and behaviour-change efforts. It recommends evidence-based taxes on beverages and foods high in sugar, salt and unhealthy fats, and front-of-package nutrition labelling to help consumers make informed choices.

It urges greater agricultural investment in vegetables, fruits, pulses, roots and tubers, with support for milk production in some regions. Other recommendations include incentives for food processors to meet quality standards and reduce salt, sugar and unhealthy fats.-Amin Ahmed