Three billion people are malnourished in the world and over two billion of them suffer from hidden hunger according to the Global Hunger Index (GHI). Hidden hunger is associated not with the quantity but the quality of the food eaten, resulting in macro and micro-nutrient deficiencies, meaning malnutrition.
One of the consequences of malnutrition is poor health, which in some cases leads to death, including among children. About 45% of all child deaths are linked to malnutrition and children in sub-Saharan Africa are more than 14 times more likely to die before the age of five than children in developed regions. Immediate causes of stunting are poor maternal nutrition and health during pregnancy, poor infant and young feeding practices after birth.