A serious threat 20 percent of country population facing acute malnutrition: UAF

The malnutrition is a serious threat for Pakistan as 20 per cent of population is facing acute malnutrition. This was echoed at the curriculum review workshop at the University of Agriculture Faisalabad. The session was chaired by UAF Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan where Dr Nawazish A Khan, former faculty, University of East Carolina, USA.
The event was organised by National Institute of Food Science and Technology in collaboration with Public Relations and Publications Department. Addressing on the occasion, the UAF Vice Chancellor said 35 per cent children deaths of under-five was attributed to malnutrition. He said that it is need of the hour to educate the people about the balanced use of the diet keeping its nutrition value in view.
He said that the UAF has initiated a degree programme in the Human Nutrition and Dietetics to produce manpower in the discipline. The nutritionists are in high demand worldwide in order to ward off the malnutrition threat. He also stressed the need to use the eatable keeping their nutrition value in view.
He said that the UAF has evolved a systematic mechanism to devise the curriculum in line with international standards. Dr Nawazish said that the malnutrition is a global threat, which is also a matter of concerns for citizens of the United States. He suggested giving the awareness among the masses about the usage of balanced diet and making the exercise a routine matter.
He added that obesity causes the different diseases including heart attack, diabetics and many others. He suggested the people to prepare their diet plan as per their weights, height and other factors. The balanced diet was a guarantee of the healthy life, he added. NIFSAT Director General Professor Dr Masood Sadiq Butt said that the institute is making all out efforts to produce a skilled manpower so that challenges confronting the food industry can be tackled. It will also help the country to produce the quality food with value addition.