‘One Bite and He Was Hooked’: From Kenya to Nepal, How Parents Are Battling Ultra-Processed Foods

T plague of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) is an international crisis. Although their consumption is notably greater in the west, forming over 50% the average diet in nations like Britain and America, for example, UPFs are taking the place of natural ingredients in diets on all corners of the globe.

In the latest development, a comprehensive global study on the dangers to well-being of UPFs was published. It cautioned that such foods are subjecting millions of people to long-term harm, and called for immediate measures. In a prior announcement, an international child welfare organization revealed that a greater number of youngsters around the world were obese than underweight for the first time, as unhealthy snacks floods diets, with the steepest rises in developing nations.

A noted nutrition professor, professor of public health nutrition at the a major educational institution in Brazil, and one of the analysis's writers, says that profit-driven corporations, not consumer preferences, are propelling the transformation in dietary behavior.

For parents, it can appear that the entire food system is undermining them. “At times it feels like we have zero control over what we are placing onto our kid’s plate,” says one mother from India. We spoke to her and four other parents from across the globe on the expanding hurdles and annoyances of providing a balanced nourishment in the era of ultra-processing.

Nepal: ‘She Craves Cookies, Chocolate and Juice’

Raising a child in the Himalayan nation today often feels like trying to swim against the current, especially when it comes to food. I make food at home as much as I can, but the moment my daughter leaves the house, she is encircled by vibrantly wrapped snacks and sugar-laden liquids. She constantly craves cookies, chocolates and bottled fruit beverages – products intensively promoted to children. One solitary pizza commercial on TV is all it takes for her to ask, “Is it possible to eat pizza today?”

Even the school environment reinforces unhealthy habits. Her school lunchroom serves sugary juice every Tuesday, which she eagerly awaits. She gets a packet of six cookies from a friend on the school bus and chocolates on birthdays, and faces a snack bar right outside her school gate.

At times it feels like the complete dietary landscape is opposing parents who are simply trying to raise fit youngsters.

As someone working in the Nepal Non-Communicable Disease Alliance and leading a project called Encouraging Nutritious Meals in Education, I comprehend this issue deeply. Yet even with my knowledge, keeping my eight-year-old daughter healthy is incredibly difficult.

These constant encounters at school, in transit and online make it almost unfeasible for parents to curb ultra-processed foods. It is not simply about what kids pick; it is about a food system that makes standard and fosters unhealthy eating.

And the data shows clearly what families like mine are facing. A comprehensive population report found that 69% of children between six and 23 months ate junk food, and a substantial portion were already drinking flavored liquids.

These numbers resonate with what I see every day. A study conducted in the region where I live reported that a notable percentage of schoolchildren were overweight and a smaller yet concerning fraction were clinically overweight, figures closely associated with the surge in unhealthy snacking and increasingly inactive lifestyles. Additional analysis showed that many Nepali children eat sugary treats or salty packaged items nearly every day, and this frequent intake is linked to high levels of oral health problems.

Nepal urgently needs tighter rules, improved educational settings and stricter marketing regulations. Until then, families will continue engaging in an ongoing struggle against junk food – a single cookie pack at a time.

St Vincent and the Grenadines: ‘Greasy, Salty, Sugary Fast Food is the Preference’

My position is a bit different as I was forced to relocate from an island in our group of isles that was ravaged by a major hurricane last year. But it is also part of the harsh truth that is confronting parents in a part of the world that is feeling the very worst effects of climate change.

“The circumstances definitely worsens if a hurricane or volcanic eruption wipes out most of your vegetation.”

Prior to the storm, as a dietary educator, I was deeply concerned about the growing spread of quick-service eateries. Nowadays, even smaller village shops are involved in the shift of a country once characterized by a diet of nutritious home-produced fruits and vegetables, to one where fatty, briny, candied fast food, loaded with manufactured additives, is the choice.

But the scenario definitely deteriorates if a hurricane or geological event destroys most of your produce. Fresh, healthy food becomes scarce and very expensive, so it is exceptionally hard to get your kids to consume healthy meals.

Regardless of having a steady job I am shocked by food prices now and have often opted for selecting from items such as vegetables and animal products when feeding my four children. Providing less food or diminished quantities have also become part of the post-crisis adaptation techniques.

Also it is quite convenient when you are balancing a demanding job with parenting, and rushing around in the morning, to just give the children a small amount of cash to buy snacks at school. Unfortunately, most school tuck shops only offer ultra-processed snacks and sweet fizzy drinks. The result of these challenges, I fear, is an rise in the already epidemic rates of chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular strain.

Uganda: ‘It’s in Every Mall and Every Market’

The sign of a international restaurant franchise towers conspicuously at the entrance of a mall in a city district, challenging you to pass by without stopping at the quick service lane.

Many of the kids and caregivers visiting the mall have never gone beyond the borders of Uganda. They certainly don’t know about the bygone era of hardship that inspired the founder to start one of the first global eatery brands. All they know is that the famous acronym represent all things modern.

In every mall and every market, there is convenience meals for any income level. As one of the more expensive options, the fried chicken chain is considered a special occasion. It is the place local households go to celebrate birthdays and baptisms. It is the children’s prize when they get a good school report. In fact, they are hoping their parents take them there for Christmas.

“Mom, do you know that some people pack fried chicken for school lunch,” my 14-year-old daughter, who attends a school in the area, tells me. She says that on the days they do not pack that, they pack food from a popular east African fast-food chain selling everything from fried breakfasts to burgers.

It is the end of the week, and I am only {half-listening|