Nutrition, which encompasses a healthy and diverse diet, is a critical part of health and development. Better nutrition is associated with a host of positive health indicators such as improved infant, child and maternal health, stronger immune systems, and lower risk of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer.

Good nutrition is an essential component of early childhood development and adolescence. Healthy children and youth learn better and are more productive as they grow older and can therefore create opportunities to break cycles of poverty and hunger.

Today the world faces a "double burden" of malnutrition, with the co-existence of both undernutrition and obesity and/or overweightness in both rich and poor countries.

Obesity refers to an excessive accumulation of fat in the body due in part to poor dietary choices that involve excessive consumption of fats and sugars. People who are obese are at a higher risk of developing chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.