World Food Day is celebrated annually on October 16. According to official data, the Republic of Moldova is facing an alarming level of overweight and obesity, reports IPN.
While 673 million people suffer from hunger worldwide, over a billion tons of food is wasted annually, as stated in the 2024 United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) report. UNEP notes another serious indicator for the global population: obesity has doubled in adults and quadrupled in adolescents, affecting approximately 390 million children and young people.
In the Republic of Moldova, the situation is also alarming. According to the 2021 Steps study, over 63.9% of adults are overweight and 22.7% are obese. Among adolescents, the situation is relatively balanced – 16% are overweight and 4% are considered obese. A key element for the country’s economy is the low level of malnutrition – only 2.5%.
In this context, the Ministry of Health communicates about the solutions proposed over the years, including the “Choose what you eat!” campaign, dedicated to reducing the consumption of salt (2019), fats (2020), and sugar (2021).
