A child’s right to adequate and appropriate nutrition is stipulated under Article 6 and 24 of the Convention on the Right’s of the Child. 

In 2010, an estimated 171 million children (167 million of whom live in developing countries) were stunted. Children who are stunted are at a greater risk of having difficulty learning, playing, engaging in normal childhood activities and being productive members of society later in life. Undernourished children are also more susceptible to frequent and repeated disease and illness due to a weakened immune response, as well as at a greater risk of becoming overweight or obese later in life.

A child’s nutritional future begins with the mother’s nutritional status in adolescence and during pregnancy.