Latin America and the Caribbean moves away from compliance with Sustainable Development Goal 2: Zero Hunger. The number of undernourished people increased for the third consecutive year: in 2017 it reached 39.3 million, largely due to South America.

Malnutrition in the Region takes many forms: one in ten children under five years of age is stunted; one in four adults is obese; One in five women of childbearing age suffer from anemia.

The problems of malnutrition in the Region are the result of the profound changes that have affected their food systems, which determine the quantity, quality and diversity of food available for consumption, a transformation that has been driven by the growing urbanization, the change of food patterns and new ways of producing and processing food.

The social and economic inequalities that characterize the Region aggravate the problem of malnutrition. Groups that face greater vulnerability, such as the population living in poverty, children, women, members of indigenous peoples and rural inhabitants, tend to present more severe problems of hunger and malnutrition.

Approximately five million children in the Region suffer from chronic malnutrition in the region; however, the incidence of undernutrition is greater among indigenous children, those who live in rural areas, or who belong to lower socio-economic strata.

Inequality of malnutrition is also seen in gender: in Latin America, 8.4% of women suffer from severe food insecurity, compared to 6.9% of men, while women's obesity rate It is greater than that of men in the entire region, unlike what happens in other parts of the world.

The solution to the problems of hunger and malnutrition in the Region requires changes in their food system. The actors of this system must work together to guarantee a better nutrition for all people, now and in the future, in a more sustainable way and adapted to climate change.