The cost of the double burden of malnutrition: main social and economic impacts in eight Latin American countries

The countries of Latin America and the Caribbean are in the midst of a demographic, epidemiological and nutritional transition, as rates of life expectancy, population ageing and chronic diseases are on the rise and there is a marked shift from undernutrition to a combination of the latter with overweight and obesity. Beyond the social impact of this process and the infringement of the rights of those affected by it, there are significant economic costs for society at large. To address these transitions and ensure the right to food and nutrition security for the entire population, evidencebased proposals that make it possible to identify challenges, find public policy opportunities and quantify the desired impacts are therefore essential. This document summarizes the main results of studies on the cost of the double burden of malnutrition carried out in eight countries of the region, as part of the cooperation project between the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the World Food Programme and the governments of the participating countries. It highlights some of the major public policy proposals on food and nutrition security to achieve the targets of Sustainable Development Goal 2 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, to end all forms of malnutrition.