The prolonged Covid-19 pandemic threatens food security and nutrition in low- and middle-income countries:

• The dimension of food security that has been most affected is accessibility, and more specifically the affordability of food
• Covid-19 crisis has exacerbated income and wealth inequalities, and in the poorest countries of the world, the impact of covid-19 on poverty is worsening
• Loss of income combined with higher retail price has disproportionally affected the vulnerable segments of the population, both in rural and urban areas
• Vulnerable households had to cut down the quantity and quality of their food consumption, increasing food insecurity and malnutrition
• Millions of children were unable to access school meals
• Well-functioning social protection programmes can buffer the adverse effects on food insecurity. In low-income countries, 15% of households received cash transfer compared to almost half of the households in upper-middle-income countries
• Short food supply chains and the development of e-commerce increase the resilience of food environments

For information related to the EU global response to support partner countries’ efforts in tackling the Coronavirus pandemic:

• Team Europe has delivered €47.7 billion to help its partners address the pandemic and its consequences
• EU global response to COVID-19
• EU Budget support in low-and middle-income countries