ISLAMABAD: Pakistan produces enough calories but fails to provide healthy and diverse diets, a United Nations report said on Tuesday. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) led the study in cooperation with other UN bodies and Pakistan's food security ministry. The analysis found that while overall food energy meets needs, key healthy food groups like fruits, vegetables, pulses, and protein are lacking. Cereals, sugar, and edible oils are heavily oversupplied. This creates unbalanced diets focused on grains, which hurt nutrition and raise non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Both rural and urban areas rely heavily on grains for calories, with rural areas consuming less dairy and protein sources such as meat and eggs. Fruit consumption is low, especially in rural regions, causing micronutrient deficiencies. Additionally, sweets and snacks high in sugar and fats are consumed more in rural households, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. Processed food sales have almost doubled recently, worsening dietary shifts and public health risks. Pakistan faces a double burden of malnutrition alongside obesity and NCDs. Around 34.5 million people suffer from diabetes, and NCDs cause 58% of deaths nationwide. Cardiovascular disease kills nearly 400,000 people yearly. The report urges strategic government action to improve nutrition. Recommendations include reallocating subsidies to support fruits, vegetables, and pulses, raising taxes on sugary products, and giving tax breaks to companies reducing sugar in their foods. These steps aim to promote healthier eating and ease pressure on health care and the economy.