In a bid to avoid anaemia, chronic illness and developmental delays in their infants, New Zealand mothers are going to great lengths to ensure their children are fed well - often at the expense of their own wellbeing. University of Otago-led research showed women were prioritising feeding their infants by stretching limited resources, sacrificing the quality of their own diets and seeking support, despite the shame and embarrassment it causes them. It has prompted lead author and human nutrition researcher Dr Ioanna Katiforis to call for longer-term, family-centred and systemic solutions to address food insecurity in New Zealand. Dr Katiforis said an increasing number of households had food insecurity, where there was limited or uncertain access to food in socially acceptable ways, and it was now considered ‘‘a major public health concern’’. ‘‘It’s driven by inequality, inadequate access to and affordability of healthy diets, and an increase in unhealthy food environments.…