Nutritional poverty is no longer confined to people with low incomes. Around the world, both the rich and the poor are victims of broken food systems that fail to provide access to balanced, affordable, and nutritious diets. While undernutrition continues to affect marginalized communities, rising obesity, diabetes, and lifestyle diseases among affluent populations reveal another side of the same crisis.

Experts say that the root cause lies in how modern food systems prioritize profit over nutrition. Ultra-processed foods, aggressive marketing, and the lack of affordable healthy alternatives have created an environment where eating well has become a privilege rather than a norm. Poor households often rely on calorie-dense but nutrient-poor diets, while wealthier consumers face a flood of unhealthy convenience foods and misinformation about nutrition.

Governments and global organizations are now calling for systemic reforms — from sustainable agriculture and better food labeling to improved education about healthy eating. Addressing nutritional poverty requires not only tackling hunger but also rethinking the entire supply chain that determines what ends up on our plates.

As the divide between health and wealth continues to blur, the message is clear: true prosperity depends on nutrition, not just income.