SHAPE-Asia: Hand in hand for healthier diets and lasting change worldwide

In 2024, an estimated 31.9% of the global population struggled to afford a healthy diet, including 28.1% in Asia and a concerning 42.9% in Sri Lanka.

- SUNIMALEE MADURAWALA

Moreover, unhealthy diets around the world are believed to be behind more than a quarter of all deaths caused by noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), with 11 million NCD deaths per year due to poor eating habits. These alarming numbers underscore the urgency of reshaping our food environments and improving access to healthy diets.

A key part of building healthier diets is creating better food environments. Food environments are the physical, economic, political, and socio-cultural contexts that influence how people decide to acquire, prepare, and consume food. What we eat each day is shaped by many factors. On a personal level, it comes down to whether food is easily accessible, affordable, convenient, and appealing. There are also broader influences, such as food prices, market availability, advertising, and government policies and regulations. When these pieces come together to make healthy foods easier to buy and more attractive to eat, people are more likely to choose them. By enhancing food environments, we can significantly impact not only individual health but also community well-being.