Government has launched the 2026 National Food and Nutrition Security Policy and its accompanying National Stunting Reduction Strategy, setting a target of cutting child stunting from the current 32 percent to 15 percent by 2030.
In a speech read on her behalf by Secretary to the Cabinet Patrick Kangwa, Vice President Mutale Nalumango said the new policy replaces a 2006 nutrition policy and will guide both nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions going forward, describing the launch as a significant milestone in Zambia’s drive toward sustainable human development. She said the strategy is designed to tackle the “triple burden” of malnutrition — under-nutrition, over-nutrition and micronutrient deficiencies — across every stage of life, through stronger multisectoral collaboration, local agricultural diversity and household resilience.
Permanent Secretary for Administration in the Office of the Vice President, Lillian Kapusana, said Zambia’s stunting rate has fallen from 35 percent in 2018 to 32 percent currently, a improvement she attributed to interventions including the School Feeding Programme and support for small-scale farmers, but said the remaining burden — roughly one in three children — still represents a significant national concern. She said government is also running the Transformative Emergency Response for Nutrition Improvements in Zambia (TERNIZA), in partnership with the World Food Programme and the German government.
UN Resident Coordinator Beatrice Mutali described Zambia’s nutrition situation as urgent despite the progress made, but welcomed the new policy as a sign of strong political commitment, pointing to President Hichilema’s personal involvement through the School Meals Programme and the Vice President-chaired Council of Ministers on Food and Nutrition Security as evidence of high-level backing for the initiative.
Sources: News Diggers — Govt launches new Food and Nutrition policy | ZNBC — Zambia launches new nutrition strategy | Lusaka Times — Govt launches landmark food and nutrition policies
