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Malnutrition among children remains a persistent problem around the world. The latest UNICEF data report that nearly half of all deaths in children under 5 years of age can be attributed to undernutrition. Poor linear growth, or stunting, affects over 150 million children around the world, one-third of whom live in India. Among the 50 million children who are wasted, half are in South Asia; yet this region is also home to a large proportion of the 40 million children who are overweight.

These disquieting results raise several questions. Despite international guidelines on early childhood feeding, why does this problem persist? There is already an extensive body of literature from studies that have tested different combinations of interventions, including dietary, behavioral, educational, and social components. Although the results from these trials can be not convincing, one thing is clear: addressing any factor (or a limited number of factors) in isolation is not enough.

The aim of the 93rd Nestlé Nutrition Institute Workshop, which took place in India in March 29th–31st, 2019, was to map the challenges within the global landscape of childhood nutrition. The opening session led by Prof. Lynnette M. Neufeld outlined the key barriers faced in pediatric nutrition, from both the global and the local perspectives. Understanding the specific nutrition deficits of a particular population is a first step in addressing the problem. In addition, we must also understand local feeding practices, in order to identify suitable interventions that can strike a balance between effectiveness and safety. The second session chaired by Prof. Kim F. Michaelsen focused on the importance of milk in child growth and its role at different developmental stages during childhood. It also called attention to the key points to be aware of when feeding children a vegan diet and how to use plan protein combinations as a cost-effective alternative to cow’s milk proteins for the prevention and treatment of acute malnutrition.

The final session designed by Prof. Andrew M. Prentice took a step broader in order to identify the environmental influences of nutrition. Infections from unhygienic surroundings combined with intergenerational nutritional deficits are major forces that can shape the epigenome and the infant gut microbiome. Together, these aspects of the global landscape of nutrition provide a roadmap toward combating nutritional deficiencies in vulnerable pediatric population around the world.

On behalf of the Nestle Nutrition Institute, I would like to thank the 3 Chairs of the workshop Lynnette M. Neufeld, Kim F. Michaelsen, and Andrew M. Prentice for putting the scientific program together.

We also would like to thank all speakers and scientific experts in the audience, who have contributed to the workshop content and scientific discussions.

Dr. Natalia Wagemans, MD

Global Head

Nestle Nutrition Institute, Switzerland