Food environment research is needed to improve nutrition and well-being in Asia and the Pacific

• Published in: Public health nutrition Vol. 24; no. 14; pp. 4706 - 4710
• Main Authors: Farrell, Penny, Rachmi, Cut Novianti, Mulcahy, Georgina, Helble, Matthias, Thow, Anne Marie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.10.2021
• Subjects: Asia; Beverages; Commentary; Community Nutrition; COVID-19; Food; Food prices; Humans; Imports; Labeling; Malnutrition; Nutrition; Nutritional Status; Obesity; Pacific Islands; Sugar; Taxation; Asia; Pacific Islands; South Korea; Pacific region; China; Malaysia; Thailand; India; Indonesia
• ISSN: 1368-9800; 1475-2727
• DOI: 10.1017/S136898002100241X

Early estimates suggest that the economic and food system impacts of COVID-19 are likely to worsen these indicators across the region(9). [...]it is a critical time to consider the role of research in addressing malnutrition effectively across the region. Within the region, there are examples of comprehensive school food policies in Malaysia and South Korea, mandatory interpretive nutrition labelling in Thailand and Sri Lanka, taxes on sugar sweetened beverages in at least sixteen countries and territories and strong restrictions on marketing to children under 12 in Taiwan(4). [...]this very much depends on the commodity being traded, and limited research indicates that imports of cheap, energy-dense foods and sugar-sweetened beverages are a concern across the region(25,26). [...]the price gap between less healthy foods and healthier foods has widened across the region from 2003 to 2018, with less healthy foods becoming relatively cheaper.