Wanjiku Gichohi
Malnutrition isn’t just about lack of food, it’s about lack of the right food. Across the world, millions suffer from hidden hunger, diets that fail to deliver the essential vitamins and minerals needed for healthy growth and development. In Timor-Leste, Zambia, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and beyond, childhood stunting and micronutrient deficiencies remain persistent challenges.
One of the simplest, most effective solutions? Aquatic foods.
These nutrient powerhouses, small fish, seaweed, shellfish, and other aquatic species, are packed with omega-3s, iron, zinc, and vitamin B12, fueling brain development, immune function, and overall health. Yet, despite their availability, consumption remains too low due to policy gaps, affordability challenges, and cultural barriers.
A Blind Spot in the Global Nutrition Agenda
For too long, staple crops have dominated food and nutrition policies, while aquatic foods have been sidelined. It’s time to change that. WorldFish is leading the charge to put aquatic foods at the heart of global food systems.
Bringing Aquatic Foods to the Table
Across Asia, Africa, and the Pacific, WorldFish is driving change, turning research into action to ensure aquatic foods become a staple in food systems.
In Zambia, WorldFish has tested two innovative approaches to scale up nutritious fish-based products. The first, in partnership with the private sector, has developed instant porridges fortified with kapenta, a small, nutrient-rich fish loaded with iron, iodine, vitamin A, and zinc. At the household level, women farmers are leading the way in producing fish powder, ensuring families have access to affordable, nutrient-dense meals all year round. These approaches are not only improving maternal and child nutrition but also empowering women with new income-generating opportunities.
Building on this success, Timor-Leste has taken steps to integrate aquatic foods into school meals, ensuring that young children receive the nutrients they need at a critical stage of development. Working alongside the government, WorldFish has helped include small fish in school feeding programs, providing a sustainable, locally sourced solution to address widespread micronutrient deficiencies.
A similar approach is underway in India, where school feeding programs in Odisha and Assam are incorporating dried small fish products to improve children’s nutrition and health. Meanwhile, in Bihar, families are being empowered with the skills and knowledge to prepare fish powder at home using locally available small fish. This cost-effective solution is helping to combat hidden hunger by making high-quality nutrition accessible to low-income households.
Meanwhile, in Cambodia, where malnutrition costs the economy up to USD 266 million annually, WorldFish has led efforts to promote small indigenous species (SIS) as a vital nutrition source. The rice field fisheries system—a network of canals, refuge ponds, and flooded rice fields, has become a sustainable source of nutrient-dense small fish for local communities. Over the last decade, WorldFish has worked alongside partners such as Save the Children, UNICEF, and Danish food company Vissot to develop and promote fish-based products like Num Trey, a fortified fish snack designed to tackle micronutrient deficiencies in young children.
In Myanmar, a similar approach saw WorldFish collaborate with local businesses to scale up nutritious fish-based products. From 2021 to 2023, partnerships with private companies led to the creation of Happy Fish, a brand of safe and nutrient-dense fish products for children and pregnant and lactating women. These efforts are ensuring that vulnerable populations have access to the essential nutrients they need for healthy development.
Beyond product innovation, Solomon Islands has focused on improving fish handling and aquatic food safety. From 2016 to 2020, WorldFish worked with rural women’s savings groups to trial solar-powered freezers, enabling communities to preserve fish more effectively. This pioneering effort laid the foundation for rolling out climate-smart post-harvest technologies in Tanzania, Kenya, and Mozambique, helping to reduce waste and improve food security in multiple regions.
Scaling Up Aquatic Food Solutions
The Case for Aquatic Foods in Global Nutrition
3.3 billion people rely on aquatic foods for essential nutrients.Yet, they remain underfunded and underutilized in global food and nutrition strategies.
WorldFish research has proven that small fish and fish-based products are:
- Affordable and accessible to vulnerable communities
- Packed with key nutrients to fight hidden hunger
- A sustainable, climate-smart food source
Studies show that just 100g of small fish can provide over 20% of daily recommended iron, zinc, calcium, vitamin B12, and omega-3s. The solution is clear—integrating aquatic foods into diets improves nutrition, health, and food security.
Making Aquatic Foods a Global Priority at Nutrition for Growth (N4G)
At the N4G Summit in Paris, WorldFish will deliver a clear message:
- Without aquatic foods, we cannot solve global malnutrition.
- Food systems must integrate aquatic foods for equity, resilience, and sustainability.
- Reaching those who need it most will empower women, diversify diets, and strengthen local economies.
At WorldFish, we’re ensuring aquatic foods are at the center of the global nutrition conversation.