PHNOM PENH, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- A total of 16 percent of households in Cambodia cannot afford a nutritious diet, highlighting the importance of social assistance programs to prevent more families from falling behind, said a new report released on Monday.

Launched by the Council for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD), with support from the World Food Program (WFP) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the report, titled Fill the Nutrient Gap analysis, found that current diets are still inadequate, contributing to all forms of malnutrition.

The report, issued to mark Cambodia's 10th National Nutrition Day, said malnutrition has increased the risk of non-communicable diseases, resulting in an annual economic burden of 1.5 billion U.S. dollars per year, or 6.6 percent of gross domestic product.

It showed that nearly 80 percent of calories consumed in Cambodia come from rice and sugar, with insufficient consumption of nutrient-dense foods.

"While persistent child wasting, widespread micronutrient deficiencies, and nutrition disparities remain, the royal government of Cambodia will prioritize food system strengthening to address them, as indicated in the Pentagonal Strategy, which underscores the importance of social protection, universal health care and climate change adaptation and mitigation," CARD's secretary general Sok Silo said.

Will Parks, the UNICEF representative in Cambodia, said good nutrition is the bedrock of child survival, growth, and development.

"Well-nourished children with quality, nutritious foods are better able to learn and participate in their communities. They are also more resilient in the face of illness," he said.

The report also indicated that Cambodia's vulnerability to climate change puts healthy diets at risk and threatens the kingdom's development ambitions.

Accounting for the effect of climate change alone, the report said the cost of a nutritious food basket is likely to increase by 10 percent by 2030 and 20 percent by 2050, placing diets further out of reach for those already vulnerable.

The report suggests a series of modeled interventions that the country could consider to improve the diets, including food fortification, social cash transfer benefits, school feeding, social behavior change for healthy diets across all population groups, and regulation of unhealthy and ultra-processed foods and beverages, among others. Enditem

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