Big Food in Africa: Endangering people’s health
Nearly 33 million households on the African continent are involved in smallholder farming. Smallholder farmers have long supplied Africans with safe and healthy foods, making Africa's diets among the healthiest on the planet.1 The situation, however, is changing. Multinational corporations are aggressively trying to take over food systems in Africa (and across the world) through the dumping of cheap, low-quality agricultural commodities – such as skimmed milk powder and broken rice – and by the promotion of highly-processed (or ultra-processed) foods that are causing the rise of diabetes and other diet-related health ailments.2
These corporations are ironically often marketing these foods as being safer than local foods – which are portrayed as being unhygienic. The reality, however, is that the industrialisation of foods in Africa increases the risks of dangerous- and sometimes deadly- food safety incidents.
In contrast, Africa's traditional agroecological farming practices and local food systems have and can continue to provide people with an abundance of healthy and nutritious foods.
Organización: AFSA
Otras organizaciones: Grain
Año: 2021
Cobertura geográfica: África
Tipo: Informe
Texto completo disponible en: https://grain.org/e/6724
Idioma utilizado para los contenidos: English