China Dialogue: Processed Food Is a Global Health Crisis

Processed food and Western diets that are high in fats, sugars and salt are not healthy and also contribute to poor agriculture methods and climate change. Farming methods could reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help stem climate change, according to an agreement made during the UN COP23 summit on climate change in Bonn. “Dietary changes are taking place at ‘unprecedented speed,’ and people in emerging economies such as South Africa, Brazil, and Mexico are suffering a rise in what used to be ‘diseases of the rich’ – diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and cancers,” explains Judy Bankman for China Dialogue. “As incomes rise, consumers in low and middle income countries are increasingly eating diets similar to those of consumers from the United States, in a ‘nutritional transition’ from plant-based to meat-centric, sugar-rich diets.” Obesity is on the rise and about 40 percent of the world’s population is overweight. Reducing consumption of meat, fast foods, processed foods could reduce chronic health problems. Individuals and nations at large should scrutinize what they eat and how it impacts the environment. – YaleGlobal