AMMAN — Jordan has made progress in several food security and nutrition indicators, including reducing undernourishment, child wasting and the proportion of people unable to afford a healthy diet, but challenges related to obesity, dietary quality and maternal and child nutrition require further attention, officials and experts said on Wednesday.

 

The remarks came during a dialogue session organised by the National Alliance Against Hunger and Malnutrition (NAJMA) to review Jordan's food security and nutrition indicators in the global and regional context, in light of the findings of the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2026 (SOFI) report.

 

In an interview with The Jordan Times, NAJMA Secretary General Fadel Zoubi said the dialogue aimed to assess Jordan's position against global food security indicators and identify areas where further improvements are needed.

 

He noted positive developments in indicators related to undernourishment, child stunting and the affordability of a healthy diet.

 

However, Zoubi highlighted obesity and excess weight as persistent concerns, linking them partly to the affordability of nutritious food.

 

"When people cannot afford nutritious food, they tend to rely on starchy foods rather than diets rich in micronutrients and protein," he said.

 

He also stressed the need to address maternal and child health issues, including breastfeeding practices and vitamin B12 levels among pregnant women, noting that these areas require continued attention and improvement.

 

Progress in key indicators

 

Presenting an overview of the SOFI report, Tamas Vattati, Nutrition and Food Systems Officer at the FAO Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa, said Jordan had recorded notable progress across several food security and nutrition indicators despite mounting global challenges, including rising food prices, climate change and supply chain disruptions.

 

The prevalence of undernourishment declined to 12.2 per cent, down from 17.9 per cent several years ago, while child wasting remained low at 2.3 per cent, he said.

 

The proportion of the population unable to afford a healthy diet also decreased to 2.2 per cent, equivalent to around 300,000 people in 2025, significantly below the regional average.

 

However, the cost of a healthy diet in Jordan increased from 3.0 purchasing power parity (PPP) dollars per person per day in 2021 to 3.5 PPP dollars in 2025, according to the report. Despite this increase, Jordan's cost remained below the Arab States average of 4.95 PPP dollars.

 

At the regional level, the cost of a healthy diet rose by around 35 per cent between 2021 and 2025, reaching 4.95 PPP dollars per person per day, 15.7 per cent above the global average.

 

The report also found that 169.1 million people, representing 33.7 per cent of the regional population, could not afford a healthy diet in 2025.

 

Vattati said maintaining Jordan's progress and making further improvements, particularly in reducing overweight and lowering the cost of healthy diets, would require sustained investment in more efficient, sustainable and resilient agrifood systems.

 

He pointed to water scarcity, climate change and the need to improve food supply chain efficiency as key challenges facing Jordan.

 

Building resilient food systems

 

Vattati stressed that continued cooperation among the government, development partners, the private sector and local communities was essential to ensuring access to affordable, healthy, nutritious and sustainable food for all.

 

He said the dialogue aimed to move beyond presenting statistics towards discussing policies and practical solutions that could strengthen the resilience of food systems and help them withstand future challenges.

 

The regional SOFI report also outlines pathways to reducing the cost of healthy diets and strengthening supply chain resilience, including through the development of well-functioning regional food corridors.