What are some aspects of the changing food environment that challenge childrens diets today

Over the past several decades, societies have evolved. We are more connected than ever before through global trade markets. More people are moving from rural areas into densely populated cities. More women are thriving in the workforce, while still raising families. And climate change is putting increased pressure on how we live and use natural resources.

Our brave new world has had a profound impact on how food is produced, what food we have access to, and ultimately, what we eat. 

Globalization has changed the way we eat. It has rapidly transformed the systems that bring our food from field to families, affecting everything from how food is harvested to how it is displayed in supermarkets. Communities around the world now have access to greater quantities and a wider variety of foods. But with globalization and trade has come an expanded market for junk food and fast foods – as well as extensive food marketing directed at children. 

As supermarkets, convenience stores and fast food chains become ubiquitous, families and communities are leaving behind their traditional, often healthier diets, in favour of modern diets often full of processed foods high in saturated fat, sugar and sodium and low in essential nutrients and fibre.

“Everything has pretty pictures on it. Everything has sugar."Gabriela, Mexico

Today, more than half of the world’s population lives in cities. Urbanization has caused a rapid shift in diet and lifestyle, with more ultra-processed foods and less physical activity.

The result is a higher prevalence of overweight and obesity among city dwellers, as well as higher rates of diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease. By 2050, 70 per cent of the world’s adolescents will live in cities, more exposed to the marketing of unhealthy foods and more vulnerable to diet-related diseases than ever before.

More and more women are joining the job market, making up nearly 40 per cent of the world’s formal labour force. Yet, almost everywhere, mothers remain responsible for most child feeding and care. They often receive little support from families, employers or society at large. This leaves too many mothers to face the impossible choice of feeding their children well or earning a steady income.

In Bangladesh, climate change forces a family to move from their farm to urban slums.

Extreme weather events like floods, storms, droughts and extreme heat have collectively doubled since 1990, and children are disproportionately affected. They are the most susceptible to waterborne diseases, which increase their risk of malnutrition and death. 

Climate shocks disrupt food production and food access for rural families – with drought alone causing 80 per cent of damage and losses in agriculture. In areas where people rely on a single staple crop like maize, a shock to food production can wipe out the entire food supply. 

Increasingly, the disruption from climate change is forcing families to abandon their farms and move to urban areas, where processed foods and sedentary lifestyles are commonplace. And because food systems account for almost a third of greenhouse gas emissions, our shift to industrial food production is only exacerbating global warming.

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1. 1 Baseline differences between treatment groups was assessed using Independent t test. *Significance p<0.05.
2. 2 Change=follow-up minus baseline. Therefore a positive change value reflects an increase from baseline to follow-up.
3. 3 Effect size estimate = mean change/change in SD [30].