Established in the Convention of the Rights of the Child, all children and infants have the right to nutritious food. Adequate nutrients in the first stages of life are a necessity to the child’s survival, including mental and physical development. Proper nutrition of children have been shown to have a direct correlation between good educational and occupational outcomes. Improving the nutritional habits of infants and children is a key piece in reducing poverty, thus being connected to infant and child nutrition . Lack of education in both breastfeeding mothers, and children can cripple the mental foundation of a child. Societies that belittle women for breastfeeding their child, are taking an active part in disrupting the fundamental intake of nutrients. Both malnutrition and stunted growth from micronutrition are direct factors of the child mortality rate. Malnutrition can be affected by nutrient deficiency and underconsumption of calories.
Denmark has two sets of unofficial dietary recommendations. The first being the Danish Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDG) . In these guidelines it is laid out that people should eat a variety of foods, be physically active, eat lots of fruits and vegetables, eat more fish, choose whole grains, and consume less sodium. The FBDG communicates to Danish people a concept of a healthy lifestyle to all above the age of two. The other dietary recommendation program is the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations (NNR). The NNR describes which foods are good for human health, they also include recommendations of portions of intake amounts of nutrients. Advice is also provided from the NNR on how to improve diets.
Denmark would propose a solution that nations should implement a nutrition program tha
t suggested nutritious food to the people, and cheapened the prices of healthy foods, to target them to poorer families. Another possible solution would be to increase the tax on unhealthy foods, to reduce the number of obese peoples. Creating an NGO comprised of nutritionists and sending them into regions where people are uneducated on consuming both the proper amounts of food and proper amounts of nutrients in each meal could also work. Nutritional programmes could be implemented into people’s occupations, children’s schools and even everyday at home. Denmark would look for allies in countries where food nutritional education is prevalent. Solving this issue first can spark changes in poverty levels, adulthood obesity, and establishing lifelong nutritional habits. Lastly, increasing the taxation of unhealthy foods to drive nations to develop healthier eating habits.
- Benjamin Gutting
