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Surviving on one or two meals a day

Over 7.5 million Zambians were surviving on one or two poor quality meals a day, a report by the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) has disclosed.

The report, carried by the newspaper, ‘The Post’, said that out of the estimated Zambian population of 10 million, 72.9 per cent of the people
lived in households without food security. The report cites economic reforms, wage freezes, inflation, privatisation and retrenchment, as having reduced the capacity of people to afford adequate diets.

The report also said that food insecurity in the country was evident though the high incidence of malnutrition. “In addition, the fact that Zambia is importing 75 percent of the food on the market is a clear indication that food production has greatly declined in the country and food insecurity is looming,” the report was quoted as saying.


This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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