The last few decades have seen
fundamental changes in food consumption patterns around
the world.
These changes were characterized not only by an increase
in overall calorie intakes but also
by a shift in the composition of the diet towards more
meat, eggs, dairy products as well as more
fats and oils, i.e. a shift towards high calorie diets
that are also much richer in saturated fats and
cholesterol. The main drivers of this transition include
factors such as: (i) rapidly falling real prices
for food; (ii) urbanization with the development of new
marketing channels and the spread of supermarkets
into developing countries; (iii) and freer trade and globalization
with the emergence
of large, trans-nationally operating food companies. This
diet transition also brought about
a rapid increase in the prevalence of overweight, obesity
and related non-communicable diseases
(NCDs). Initially, these problems were limited to developed
countries, but more recently, there
are growing concerns that the adverse effects of a rapid
nutrition transition could even be more
severe in developing countries. The growing health concerns
have also given rise to a intense debate
about possible remedies to stop and reverse the obesity
epidemic in developed countries, and,
perhaps even more importantly, to prevent similar developments
in developing countries.
Some of these policy options are being examined in this
paper. The instruments analysed include
price interventions, both at the level of primary commodities
and final consumer goods
(tax on fat food), direct incentives to reduce and disincentives
to maintain an excess body weight;
finally the paper also presents some experience gathered
with a combination of various measures
in integrated nutrition programmes.