Editorial: Fix the Nation's Food Policies
Many Indonesians live lavishly without having to worry about what to eat. Some even throw away their food because there is too much, or they are only able to eat a small portion of it.
In many big cities across the Indonesian archipelago, we see people enjoying an abundance of food. So much so, in fact, that Indonesia is following the global trend of increasingly becoming an overweight nation.
Hunger has never had an impact on the lifestyle of the wealthy and it is doubtful that it has ever crossed their minds that many among their fellow countrymen and -women are affected by it.
However, the abundance of food — and food chains popping up around Indonesia's big cities — does not mean that hunger or malnutrition do not exist in Indonesia.
In many other parts of the country, millions of people still struggle to get enough food, or enough of the right food. For these people, hunger has become a way of life on a daily basis.
A recent survey by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization shows that 20 million Indonesians go to bed hungry every night, which accounts for around 8 percent of the nation's population.
Most worrying of all is the fact that Indonesia has millions of children who are undernourished or malnourished. Without sufficient nutrition for these kids, the threat of a "lost generation" looms, which could be a major obstacle on Indonesia's road to development.
The government should ensure that the issue of nutrition is prioritized. The FAO's report should serve as a dire warning that it is high time to fix Indonesia's food policies. Amid all the abundance, we cannot allow people to go hungry.
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