UN Adopts New SDG Indicator on Minimum Dietary Diversity to Combat Malnutrition

The United Nations Statistical Commission has officially adopted a new Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicator on Minimum Dietary Diversity (MDD), a significant milestone in monitoring malnutrition and supporting the achievement of SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) as part of the broader 2030 Agenda. This adoption occurred during the 56th session of the Commission in New York and is part of the 2025 Comprehensive Review of the SDG indicator framework.

The MDD indicator, developed jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), addresses a critical gap in tracking diet quality, which is essential for reducing malnutrition and promoting health and well-being. Previously, the SDG framework lacked a focused tool for measuring the diversity and quality of diets, which are integral to achieving zero hunger and improving health outcomes. This new indicator introduces a methodologically validated measure that will track dietary diversity among two key population groups: children (MDD-C) and women of reproductive age (MDD-W).

The MDD-W indicator, led by FAO, is a simple “yes/no” measure that determines whether women aged 15 to 49 have consumed at least five out of ten defined food groups in the past 24 hours. The ten food groups include grains, pulses, nuts, dairy, meat, eggs, vegetables, fruits, and vitamin A-rich foods. The more women who meet this threshold, the higher the likelihood that the population’s diet contains essential nutrients. Similarly, UNICEF has developed the MDD-C indicator for children.

The adoption of the MDD indicator is a critical step for global efforts to combat malnutrition. The importance of dietary diversity, which reflects the range of foods consumed, has long been emphasized in public health research. A diverse diet is vital for providing the necessary vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that are crucial for growth, health, and development. FAO and UNICEF have been at the forefront of global efforts to improve food security and nutrition, including tracking progress on SDG 2. The inclusion of MDD allows for the first time a comprehensive measure of diet quality to be incorporated into this effort.

FAO and UNICEF, along with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other international partners, have emphasized the need for harmonized and reliable data to monitor food insecurity, malnutrition, and related health issues. This is crucial for designing targeted, evidence-based policies and interventions. José Rosero Moncayo, FAO’s Chief Statistician, highlighted that the absence of a diet quality indicator had previously hindered efforts to address the role of healthy diets in achieving the 2030 Agenda. He emphasized that unhealthy diets are a leading cause of poor health outcomes and non-communicable diseases globally.

The MDD-W indicator will help assess dietary diversity at the population level, evaluate the impact of nutrition programs, and inform policy decisions. Women and children, who are particularly vulnerable to malnutrition, are the primary focus of this new measure. The data gathered through this indicator will enable governments, organizations, and stakeholders to track progress, set targets, and identify areas where interventions are needed to improve nutrition.

The adoption of the MDD indicator represents a critical advancement in understanding global dietary trends. According to the latest reports, more than 2.8 billion people worldwide could not afford a healthy diet in 2022, and rates of obesity have been steadily increasing. In 2022, 15.8% of adults were classified as obese, compared to 12.1% in 2012. These figures underscore the importance of understanding not only food availability but also the actual diets consumed by vulnerable populations.

This new SDG indicator will be analyzed in upcoming reports, including the UN’s SDG 2025 report and FAO’s progress assessment on food and agriculture-related SDG indicators. With the inclusion of the MDD indicator, the international community now has a critical tool to guide nutrition policies and interventions aimed at achieving SDG 2 and improving global health outcomes.