Fruits, vegetables and meats are some of the garbage that hundreds of Salvadorans find amidst tons of trash. According to the FAO, the most vulnerable population, those who are the victims of the worst food scarcity, are children under five years old and pregnant women, who live in marginal or rural areas. The prophecy is terrible in this era of great progress in science and technology, when modern trends emerge in various forms, and when so much is said about progress and social welfare. There are children who eat only once a day in El Salvador, thanks to survival programs, paid for by the residents themselves and charity organizations. Nevertheless, in the most remote towns and rural areas, where most of the people are poor, the situation is still worse.
Environmental pollution is another element contributing to the increase in malnutrition.
In the rural areas of El Salvador, there are no adequate areas to store or dispose of trash and hazardous wastes. The latter contributes to the contamination of the soil and produce. This situation, according to the study, worsens in the most remote areas of the country. Natural disasters, such as hurricanes, and floods, which frequently happen and cause human and material losses, have also contributed to the rise in malnutrition. As usual, they mercilessly hit the poorest areas, leaving behind desolation and epidemics.