Why nutrition is in everyone’s best interest
While it is a common understanding that better nutrition leads to better health, improving the nutritional status of a country can have multiple positive effects, one of them being economic growth. Investment in nutrition is of utmost importance due to the long-term economic implications of an undernourished population. Investing in infant and young child nutrition can increase a country’s GDP by 2-3 percent, prevent more than 1/3 of child deaths per year and increase school attainment by at least one year. Worldwide, better nutrition in the first 1,000 days of life can save up to $20-30 billion in health costs, be it government spending, personal hospital visits or an employer’s expenses. Moreover, a well-nourished citizen is a healthy citizen, and a healthier labour force is more productive, in terms of both physical production and human capital production. Nutrition policy must therefore be viewed as an investment in the future of the country and its economy.
http://www.thedailystar.net/nutrition-is-everybody-s-business-39372