Many factors have affected our diets today in the developing countries and am focusing especifically on my country which suppose to be the world food basket. A country full of fertile land and water is importing food today. Politics have very much affected our food today. Goverments abandoned agriculture and especially growing enough foods. Urbanization ate the agricultural land for building houses. Farmers left their land to cities where no one is farming. Large scale food projects were abandoned. Advanced communication technology have affected our children who demanded foods imported which is completely different from our cultural foods. Consumption patterns were worthened and chronic diseases afected younger generations as a result of improper nourishment. For poor people the situation is even worse. Food prices are rising as a results of many food retailers and middle men while incomes dicline. Micronutient deficiencies are affecting larger segment of the population and especially school children. Malnutrition coupled with natural and man-made disasters have affected many vulnerable groups such as pregnant women, under five years children and elderly. Thousands of families were displaced from their fertile lands because of wars. Climate change has affected pretty much our food production and consequently food consumption patterns. Life-Style changes in urban areas has very much affected our diets. Eating outside the home and high consumption of fast foods have an effect on our consumption patterns. Peer presure affected to a larger extend the adolescent's diet and consumption patterns. Food as a mean of socialization have an impact also on the changing dietarry patterns. What we call social foods are full of sugar and fats. Snacks are no longer fruits and vegetyables but rather cookies and soft drinks.
Nutrition related diseases are in rising with obesity becoming a public health concern and affecting the poor more as a result of high consumption of high caloric foods with low utritive value and cheap coupled with lack of physical activity and sedentery electronic games performed by children and lack of physical activity for adults too.
It is high time that stakeholders come together in a way they build effective partnership to seek solution for the above complex situation. In my opinion we need bringing back home economics to schools for both gender to set a proper base for our food consumption patterns since early in life. On the other hand food and nutrition expers should partning with each other to seek technical solution to our food system problems
Sidiga Washi