Health Care in Iran - Nutrition

Nutrition

See also: Agriculture in Iran, Cuisine of Iran, List of countries by percentage of population suffering from undernourishment, and Sport in Iran

Serious attention to the nutritional status of Iranian people has been made since Institute of Nutrition and Food Science of Iran (INFSI) was established by Dr. Habibollah Hedayat in 1961. Despite the fact that Iran consists of an agrarian economy, there is a high degree of malnutrition within the country. Approximately one fourth of all young children have stunted or wasted growth characteristics due to undernourishment; moreover, as an indicator of the poor food distribution capability, the percentage of undernourished children in villages is much higher.

As an additional measure of public health and inefficient food distribution, about thirteen percent of the young people are classified as obese, according to the same United Nations FAO sources. According to the government of Iran, about 60 percent of Iranians are overweight and 35 percent of women and 15 percent of men suffer from obesity in Iran.

The Codex Commission of Food Stuff, established in 2002 is in charge of setting and developing standards and quality and health regulations, related to the production of and trade in raw agricultural products and food stuffs, in accordance with the different global standards.

The soft drinks industry is valued at about $2 billion a year. Today, Iran produces about 3 billion litres of different types of soft drinks to address consumption of 46 litres per capita, and exports more than 12% of its production. Increased awareness with regards to the damages of carbonated drinks and sugar, and high levels of diabetes has created a move towards healthier products.