This post originally appeared in The Huffington Post.

By Doug Bereuter and Dan Glickman

What would happen if we could solve a condition that affects more than one in four people on the planet and not only stunts development but leads to heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers? This condition is implicated in the deaths of 3.1 million children under 5 years old each year. And it assaults not only our health but our economy: It costs most countries 4 to 9 percent of their GDP, and by 2030 it will cost businesses $35 trillion in lost labor and productivity.

Well, the condition is malnutrition. And a big part of the solution is more-healthful food.

Our governments and businesses cannot afford this burden, and our consciences should not tolerate its human costs. It is time to use the biggest tool at our disposal -- the multitrillion-dollar global agriculture and food sector -- to increase the quality, not just the quantity, of our food and give billions more people access to the nutrients they need to thrive. A new Chicago Council on Global Affairs study says that the United States -- with its world-renowned agrifood businesses and universities and the power of its assistance and example -- should lead the way.

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