The Market for Highly Processed Food and Drink: Driving Children’s Diets (briefing)

Highlights

Childhood obesity is increasing rapidly in China with one in five children aged 7-18 years suffering from overweight or obesity. Traditional diets are being replaced by modern diets, based on refined grains, meat and an abundance of highly processed food and drink. These are products that have undergone a series of industrial modifications to make them tasty, attractive and with a long shelf-life. They are energy-dense, contain unhealthy types of fat, refined starches, free sugars and salt, and are poor sources of protein, dietary fibre, and essential vitamins and minerals.