Lifestyle High obesity, little food security by Barbados Today 09/07/2019 written by Barbados Today 09/07/2019 2 min read A+A- Reset Share FacebookTwitterLinkedinWhatsappEmail 263 Latin America and the Caribbean is facing an obesity epidemic while paradoxically the number of people facing food insecurity in the region continues to rise, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) warned in a report on Monday. “In Latin America and the Caribbean … obesity currently affects around one quarter of the population, while about 60 per cent of the population is overweight,” the OECD and the FAO said in a joint report. It called the rapid development in the number of people who are overweight and obese an “epidemic” and a “growing public health problem”. The report, an overview of developments expected in the food and agricultural sectors over the coming decade, found that a combination of excessive calorie consumption, unbalanced diets and declining activity levels were fuelling a growing burden of overweight and obesity in various countries across the world. It said that in many low and middle-income countries, obesity exists alongside undernourishment and micronutrient deficiencies, calling it “a ‘triple burden’ of malnutrition”. In Latin America and the Caribbean “obesity seems to remain on the rise, particularly affecting lower-income sectors of the population, women, indigenous peoples, Afro-descendants and, in some cases, children,’’ said the report. “Paradoxically, being an agricultural and food surplus region, Latin America witnessed the number of food insecure population increase for the third consecutive year,” it added. Latin America is one of the world’s major food exporting regions, and the OECD and FAO said the rising food insecurity was likely driven by “the affordability of food to poor consumers… rather than the physical availability of food…” You Might Be Interested In Pleasure and business in Canada Art, music and pork for Chinese New Year New sponsor, new local products The report pointed to a shift to animal-based proteins from a traditional diet rich in cereals, roots, tubers and pulses. The per cent of fat-based calories in diets has also been rising across the region, although it is still just below the recommended level. It noted that the share of added sugars in the diet also exceeds the recommended level, although this is dropping. The report pointed to government policies in several countries to encourage healthier food choices, including controls on advertising of processed foods and beverages to children in Chile, and a health-related tax on food in Mexico. Source: AFP Barbados Today Stay informed and engaged with our digital news platform. The leading online multimedia news resource in Barbados for news you can trust. You may also like Preacher suggests ‘knee-jerk’ reaction to prayer is not the answer 23/07/2024 Hypasounds Teams Up with Hit Producer, Tano for New Single Pressure 28/06/2024 ‘Fashionista’ centenarian celebrated 06/04/2024