Children face stunting despite consuming enough calories

This article posted on IRIN highlights the problem of stunting in Madagascar’s children:

“…the country’s high rates of stunting also have much to do with the Malagasy obsession with rice. Although many children consume enough calories, they have trouble growing because their diet consists almost exclusively of rice, to which cassava or a salty soup may be added and, if the family has enough money, some fatty meat. “We found that the highest occurrence of stunting is not among the very poor, as they eat the vegetables that they grow instead of selling them, and these are rich in nutrients. The worst cases are those who can afford white rice,” said UNICEF nutrition expert Amal Bennaim.

Read the full story here.