Amman, July 22 (Petra) --Jordan has recorded "continued" improvements in food security and nutrition indicators, according to the 2026 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report, Agriculture Minister and Vice Chairman of the Higher Council for Food Security Saeb Khraisat said Wednesday.
In a statement, Khraisat said the report, issued this month by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in partnership with the World Food Programme (WFP), the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), showed Jordan's "progress" across several national food security and nutrition indicators.
He said the report cited a decline in the prevalence of undernourishment continued low levels of acute child malnutrition, and improved affordability of healthy diets, reinforcing Jordan's position among countries with "stable" food security based on internationally recognized indicators.
Khraisat said the prevalence of undernourishment, one of the key indicators for monitoring Sustainable Development Goal 2, fell to 12.2% during the 2023–2025 period from 14.3% in 2022–2024 and 17.9% in 2021–2023, reflecting "improved food availability and access in the Kingdom." Additionally, the report showed prevalence of child wasting remained unchanged at 2.3 percent, one of the lowest rates compared with regional and global averages, he said.
Khraisat said maintaining such a low level in one of the most sensitive indicators of food insecurity demonstrates "effectiveness" of Jordan's child nutrition and healthcare programs and underscores the importance of sustaining those efforts.
He added that the prevalence of child stunting under five stood at 7.7 percent in 2024, which is also below regional and global averages, indicating "continued stability" in children's nutritional status and the positive impact of national policies aimed at reducing chronic malnutrition.
Revealing an improvement in affordability of healthy diets, the report said share of the population unable to afford a healthy diet declined to 2.2 percent in 2025 from 2.3 percent in 2024, Khraisat said.
He added that the report recorded a decline in adult obesity among people aged 18 and older to 35.4 percent in SOFI 2026, based on 2024 data, from 38.5 percent reported in SOFI 2025, which was based on 2022 data.
On its future policy, Khreisat said the government would continue implementing policies to address remaining food security and nutrition challenges by protecting lower-income groups, supporting domestic agricultural production.
He added that the gov't would also strengthen supply chains, improve dietary quality and promote healthy eating habits in line with the Economic Modernization Vision and the National Food Security Strategy.
//Petra// NQ
