Inflation Robs Kids Of Nutritious Food

Bini Dahal

Inflation remains to be one of the growing issues in the majority of economies around the world. Inflation is understood as the general increase in prices and a fall in purchasing value of money. Its effect is evident in both developed and developing countries, highly affecting food, nutrition and lifestyle related matters.

In an article published by CNN recently, it has been reported that schools in Japan are providing children with cakes and jellies to substitute seasonal fruits and vegetables. This is because of inflation and the subsequent hike in the prices of ingredients. So, nutritionists are facing difficulties in coming up with a holistic meal plan for children. And since the government has set certain regulations concerning school meals, there is no flexibility for nutritionists. 

Such a dilemmatic situation also puts a burden on low-income families who will have to spend more on school meals for their children. We know that Japan is one of those few nations that strictly follow the idea of healthy eating. But we can see how inflation is forcing the country and its people to change their pattern of eating. 

In the context of Nepal, we see a rising instance of malnutrition and lack of growth among children. Compared with Japan, school meal plans are rarely introduced here, and even if done, are only introduced to increase the enrolment rate of school going children. Skyrocketing prices of staple food items has caused a large number of low-income families to opt for packaged food materials for their children. These items are readily available, very cheap and tasty due to the use of artificial colours and preservatives. 

Truly speaking, we are not properly following the idea of healthy eating in our daily life. So, inflation has caused our diets to become worse. However, with changing times and a myriad of health issues in front of us, a growing number of people are becoming increasingly conscious of their diets. But, eating healthy and balanced meals are like a luxury and come with a heavy price. The inflationary economy has not supported people and their choices to live a healthy lifestyle. So, even middle- and higher-income families are forced to bear the burden of changing economic conditions.

Human lives are filled with problems. While some cannot even afford to buy one meal a day, others who could are being pushed into a situation where they will not be able to. Survival has become difficult day by day for most people around the globe. Conditions like climate change have reduced the number of edible crops, limiting the food variety people could choose from. 

All of these big problems hamper children the most. Children are in a phase of growth so they require sufficient nutrition to grow and thrive. In spite of that, inflation can and will push more children into unhealthy conditions. 

It is essential for governments to take up a more proactive role in this regard. They will have to provide required funding to help low-income families tackle inflation and subsequent instances of food insecurity. As long as economies themselves are not resilient enough, extreme inflation cannot be put under control. It is necessary to follow prudent economic policy that ensures that nutritious food is available to children.