Vast swathes of Africa provide fresh produce and quality food for the rest of the globe. But for many locals, these remain unaffordable, even in places where there's little food insecurity. Priced out of healthier diets, poorer populations now have to resort to consuming ultra-processed food items. But how can this trend be reversed — and what are its real consequences on society in the long-run?
00:00Africa grows some fresh, healthy and delicious food for much of the rest of the world.
00:17But countless Africans cannot afford the same quality food at home.
00:26Instead, many end up stuck with cheap, ultra-processed foods.
00:31The food system is broken, it's only giving options that are unhealthy.
00:37It's what is available, it's what is affordable, it's what is accessible in order for them to eat.
00:42It's affordable alright, but at what cost exactly?
00:46Welcome to The Flipside.
00:48The World Bank says that 3 billion people around the world cannot afford a healthy diet, and a big chunk of them are right here in Africa.
01:01According to the latest statistics, South Africa now ranks fourth on the global list of countries where people have to consume ultra-processed foods in large quantities.
01:14Millions of people across Africa are malnourished, while at the same time millions are becoming heavier and heavier.
01:22One worrying trend is that the problem is also prevalent among children.
01:27Now these are items that are full of sweeteners, preservatives, chemicals, bulking agents, and basically empty calories.
01:37They are eating unhealthy food, which actually is just filling, but energy dense and poor in nutrition.
01:45With ultra-processed foods, you'll lose essential micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals, which are crucial for a healthy diet.
01:54Why are we getting heavier? First of all, we do more sedentary work than our ancestors.
02:01And secondly, we eat more processed foods, which are often high in calories, fat, sugar, and salt.
02:09Also, being heavy is still viewed as a sign of wealth in some African regions.
02:14And what happens when people cannot afford to consume more wholesome food items?
02:20Well, healthcare costs rise dramatically. Workers become less productive.
02:26Children suffer stunted growth. Not even to mention the higher mortality rates.
02:32Therefore, this isn't just about health issues, but a serious social and economic problem as well.
02:38And it isn't just limited to South Africa.
02:41So the same trend, we see it the same as, you know, in Zambia, in Zimbabwe, in Mozambique, in Switzerland, in Lesotho, in Mauritius.
02:52And some of the South African countries that are also producing unhealthy food, they see the other neighboring countries as an expansion.
03:00In fact, nearly all sub-Saharan countries have economies where over half their populations cannot afford a healthy diet, according to the UN.
03:10In some African regions, this has even become a main driver for migration, causing further losses to those economies.
03:18So what can we do to stop this rather destructive trend?
03:22We need to create those safety nets. We need to be creating jobs. We need to be thinking about that.
03:27But as we do that, we've got to be thinking about healthy diets and what we do in terms of making healthy diets affordable.
03:34We could put an end to this by, you know, implementing policies that can actually increase physical activity,
03:42that can increase people having access to nutritious food, policies such as, you know, subsidizing healthy diets.
03:51Focusing on this would guarantee in 10 years, in 15 years, a well-nourished population that is able to benefit completely from an education policy, from other policies,
04:03and as they become adults, enter a workforce and be then fully productive.
04:07Look, healthy diets are indeed expensive, but sensible policies can help a great deal in feeding people and establishing a better future for all.
04:19So instead of showing off what we can afford, we should start making healthy food and lifestyle choices.
04:26Eating cheap junk can become more expensive in the long run as entire governments and their economies lose their competitive edge in a globalized world.
04:38As the saying goes, cheap is expensive. And that's the flip side.
