It has been revealed that a high number of children are suffering the consequences of poor diet in the country.

According to UNICEF, 34 percent of children in Fiji are overweight or obese and eight percent are undernourished.

UNICEF Pacific Representative, Sheldon Yett, says almost two in every three children between six months and two years of age are not fed food that supports the rapid growth of their bodies.

He says this puts them at risk of poor brain development, weak learning outcomes, low immunity, increased infections and in many cases, death.

One in three children in Fiji, that’s huge are overweight, and roughly one in eight are undernourished or underfed. Again very alarming statistics. It’s essential that we work together under the leadership of the government with civil society with the private sector and support organization like UNICEF to address this.

Yett says as children begin transitioning to soft or solid foods around the six-month mark, too many are introduced to the wrong kind of diet.