LSE alumna Sylvia Szabo argues that food insecurity is a global issue, not one just facing developing countries.
From time to time, headlines reveal new scandals about food contamination through the use of potentially dangerous substances. Last year, McDonald’s withdrew its apple slices due to a listeria risk. As I write this article, the Guardian is reporting that the veterinary pain killer phenylbutazone was found in beef sold by UK’s ASDA chain. We are consuming more and more food with acronyms of substances, many of which remain unknown to the public at large. After eating sandwiches from a local supermarket over a couple of weeks, I was horrified to read through the list of ingredients, which included preservatives, thickeners and antioxidants, but had practically no nutritional value.
Simultaneously, obesity has become a major public health issue. It is proven to lead to a number of long-term health problems, including diabetes, respiratory diseases, heart disease and cancer. As of 2009, around 17 per cent of people living in OECD countries were reported to be obese (Sassi & Devaux, 2012). In the US, which tops the list, the obesity level is almost 34 per cent. In high-income countries, more than half of all adults have a raised level of cholesterol, which is more than double the rate in low-income nations. While the global hunger statistics are horrifying, few people realise that chronic diseases are the number one cause of mortality, representing 63 per cent of all deaths worldwide (WHO, 2011). Continue reading →
