Do you think being well-fed is only about having a full stomach? It’s not. Being well-fed is about having enough of the right stuff — safe and nutritious food — and not too much of the wrong stuff — food that is processed beyond recognition and stuffed full of trans fat, additives, salt, and sugars.
Millions of people are hungry. But billions more are malnourished because the calories they get are empty of other good things such as vitamins, minerals, proteins, and fiber. Getting this right in the first 1,000 days of a child’s life, from conception until they reach 2 years of age, is paramount for setting off on pathways to a good life. Children who are well nourished at age 2 do better in school, are more likely to thrive mentally and physically, develop stronger livelihoods, and age healthily — avoiding diseases such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure.
Nutrition is a nonnegotiable prerequisite for a flourishing society and economy. Yet too many parents have to choose between calories that fill the stomach or taste good which are relatively inexpensive, and the more expensive nutritious foods that develop brains and fuel hopes.
About the authors
Brieuc Pont
Brieuc Pont is France's special envoy on nutrition and secretary-general of the Nutrition for Growth Summit. He previously served as France's ambassador to Nicaragua 2020-2023 and consul general in Sao Paulo 2016-2020. Pont is a graduate of the Bordeaux Institute of Political Studies. He holds a post-graduate diploma in Political Communication from the University of Paris.
Lawrence Haddad
Lawrence Haddad is a World Food Prize winner and has been GAIN’s executive director since 2016. Haddad chaired Action Track 1 Ending Hunger and Malnutrition at the 2021 U.N. Food Systems Summit. In 2022, he was awarded a CMG for “services to international agriculture and nutrition” by King Charles III of the United Kingdom. Before GAIN, Haddad co-founded the Global Nutrition Report, was director of the Institute of Development Studies, and was director of the International Food Policy Research Institute’s Division of Food Consumption and Nutrition. An economist, Haddad completed his Ph.D. in Food Research at Stanford University in 1988.
