Inland fisheries critical for the diet quality of young children in sub-Saharan Africa

The world will not reach Sustainable Development Goal 2 ‘Zero Hunger’ by 2030 unless we address micronutrient deficiencies, particularly amongst infants and children in developing countries. Fish are nutrient-rich and are valued to improve diet quality. We examined the diets of 6328 children in rural sub-Saharan Africa. Most children had inadequate diet diversity. Of those that did have higher diet diversity, 20% relied on eating fish from nearby inland fisheries as their only flesh food. Results suggest that food systems failed to provide fish or other flesh foods to 65% of rural children. To improve diet quality of children living more than 5 km from inland fisheries, strategies are needed to extend the reach of fish value chains and improve access to fish. •Food system strategies are needed to address poor quality diets in children.•Fish was the most commonly consumed animal-source food among children 6–23 months in rural Malawi and Zambia.•Children in these countries were more likely to eat fish if they lived close to inland fisheries and far from urban markets.•Findings suggest that fish-based strategies can be leveraged to improve diet quality of children in sub-Saharan Africa.