HEALTHY FOR WHOM – CONSUMERS OR THE FOOD AND BEVERAGE INDUSTRY?

Abstract

Malnutrition, both undernutrition and obesity, with its links to non-communicable diseases, is probably today’s most important public health challenge. Two reports published this year in Lancet, the first being the EAT-Lancet Commission Report and the second being the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Diet Collaborators Report, lay the blame for the increasing burden of NCDs on sub-optimal and unhealthy diets. This commentary focuses on the latter report. That report holds excess intake of sodium as the biggest risk factor, underplaying the role of sugar, trans fats and processed foods. The report is also silent on the part played by the food industry, especially their marketing practices. In this essay, we highlight the lack of clarity in the GBD report and question its conclusions.