Jason Li
In bustling South African streets, glimmering chunks of greasy sausage and beef line the marketplaces. McDonalds, Burger King, and other fast food chains—nonexistent there just a few years ago—have broken expansion records and operate hundreds of outlets across the region, each store welcomed with unprecedented enthusiasm (nearly 5,000 showed up at Burger King’s Cape Town launch)1. High-fat, low-cost foods have led South Africa to become the world’s third-fattest nation, with two-thirds of its population considered overweight2.
And they are not alone. The Overseas Development Institute estimates that 904 million people in developing countries are obese—almost twice as many obese people in wealthier countries3. Now, experts are calling obesity the next HIV, and obesity is well on track to overtaking HIV and tuberculosis as South Africa’s biggest killer. In an unprecedented paradox, the developing world now has two large global health epidemics: obesity and malnourishment. A seemingly illogical trend (obesity is often considered a problem in the developed world, not where food is scarce), the developing world’s frightening obesity epidemic must be analyzed from its roots to its consequences for its future to be understood: is it possible to stop this? And if so, how?
South Africa’s rise in obesity is relatively new due to the recent developments mentioned. However, the developing world’s influence from Western nations have brought both good and bad habits to its massive populations. With rising incomes and growing urban culture, citizens are turning away from their past and embracing more modern lifestyles: water is bought rather than collected; infrastructure has been established to facilitate city life; technology has made convenience accessible. But with different habits comes a different lifestyle. With less and less physical activity expended, choices of diet have never been more significant. An average family only has so much money per week to spend on food. When meat, fat, and processed goods are offered in large quantities for prices far lower than the prices of a small portion of fruit and vegetables, the choice is undeniably (and logically) clear: fast food is cheap, filling, and good. Now, millions are plagued by diseases and conditions normally connected with affluence: diabetes, cardiovascular conditions, and cancer.
Critics have stated that even western Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) facilitate these issues4. Addressing starvation and malnutrition—both pressing problems, these NGOs provide food to developed countries by distributing vast amounts of packaged goods that are dense in calories. Yet by attacking malnutrition rates, critics claim that they exacerbate not only the fast-growing obesity epidemic, but also the developing world’s reliance and dependency on the Western world—a fact that has allowed the Western fast food culture to seamlessly integrate itself into the fabric of South African culture. Indeed, interest in Africa by American fast food companies is burgeoning. In 2013, 13 representatives of food companies including Dairy Queen and Wing Zone visited Africa on a trade mission after Kentucky Fried Chicken opened nearly 1000 stores throughout southern Africa. Seeking wealthy trade partners, the trip was predicated on large, untapped markets and the assumption that South Africans would continue to embrace these high-fat, low-cost food. They are likely right6.
Still, change is entirely possible. Policies focusing on specific dietary objectives can be successful, whether it is educating the public on food choices and nutrition or making nutritional food more affordable. In South Korea, concerted government efforts in the form of educational campaigns and public initiatives helped transform South Korean lifestyle and nutrition forever. Citizens were trained to prepare low-fat, high-vegetable meals3 and integrate them into the Korean household. As a result, from 1980 to 2009, Koreans ate on average 300% more fruit and 10% more vegetables5. In a more restrictive example, Denmark banned trans-fatty acids in 2004, which can increase risks for cardiovascular disease when consumed regularly.
Understandably, there are many obstacles in resolving the obesity epidemic in South Africa. How will nutritious food be as affordable and accessible as fast food restaurants crop up on every street corner? How will governments tackle the very real and present issue of obesity while remaining vigilant in combating malnutrition when they are such vastly different yet surprisingly connected epidemics? As obesity in developing countries looms into the public eye, organizations need to focus on reconciling the many nuances of South African culture with obesity’s drastic expenses and health defects. Only after understanding why fast food is so successful in these regions can countries begin developing and implementing sustainable solutions for long-term health.
References
1. Available at: http://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/18/111802.html. Accessed November 1, 2014.
2. Global, regional, and national prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adults during 1980–2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013. The Lancet. 2014;384(9945):766.
3. Available at: http://www.odi.org/. Accessed November 2, 2014.
4. Overseas Development Institute Web site. Available at: http://www.povertycure.org/issues/foreign-aid/. Accessed October 28, 2014.
5. Available at: http://faostat3.fao.org/home/E. Accessed November 3, 2014.
6. Maumbe Blessing, The rise of South Africa’s quick service restaurant industry. Journal of Agribusiness in Developing and Emerging Economies 2011. 2:2: 147-166.