Consumption of highly processed foods, diets lacking in fruits, and high in salt… poor dietary habits carry a hidden health cost exceeding $8 trillion annually, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), which calls for “urgent action” to reform global agri-food systems.
These $8.1 trillion are linked to productivity losses due to diet-related diseases (diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular diseases…), according to the organisation’s annual report.
This invisible cost adds to the already identified medical expenditure costs, effectively doubling the true health costs of our diets.
Globally, health impacts account for 70% of the total hidden costs of food production, which include environmental and social costs.
Half of this health cost is attributed to diets low in whole grains, the widespread consumption of ultra-processed products (except in some African countries and possibly India), diets low in fruits (a global issue), and diets high in salt.
This is followed by diets rich in processed meat products (sausages, cured meats, etc.), red meat, and low in vegetables…
Depending on the country, hidden health costs can represent up to 10% of GDP, particularly in some emerging nations, according to the report, which covers 153 countries and 99% of the global population.
This estimate represents a minimum as it does not include the costs of malnutrition, which also represent a significant burden, the FAO notes.
What can be done? The FAO emphasises the “need for more ambitious commitments from countries” and assigns responsibilities along the supply chain, from producer to consumer.
The FAO warns of the risk that the burden of these changes may fall largely on farmers who are “on the front line.”
“With increasingly globalised supply chains and an imbalance of power, the cost of change often falls on vulnerable sides, like producers, who face increased regulatory costs and pressure to lower prices,” the report highlights.
The health costs “borne by the community are invisible and therefore go unacknowledged, resulting in no real will to address the problem,” says David Laborde, director of the FAO’s Agri-food Economy Division.
“We need to escape the trap where consumers don’t want to pay, intermediaries don’t want to pay, governments say ‘I have no money,’ and the tendency is to shift costs onto farmers,” leading to protests like those seen in Europe last winter and, ultimately, inaction.
Agricultural producers need access to technology, fair compensation for ecosystem services, and certifications (organic, fair trade) as tools for better income, the report suggests. “Agribusiness and investors have a significant role to play.” Consumers, too, represent “the final piece of the puzzle” when choosing healthy, sustainably produced foods.
“Financial incentives, awareness campaigns, and regulatory frameworks can support change, especially for vulnerable households,” when “in many countries, populations bear the dual burden of malnutrition and obesity or illness.”
For example, sugar taxes on beverages or subsidies for fruits and vegetables yield “positive results,” the report finds.
“The international community may hope that innovation will solve the problems of agri-food systems, but innovation alone is unlikely to direct them toward sustainability: managing them must change through political will,” the FAO concludes in its report.
Source: AMNA
