2. How are diets changing? (2024)

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2. How are diets changing?

2.1 How many (kilo)calories are consumed every day?
2.2 How much fat is consumed?
2.3 How much animal products are consumed?
2.4 How much fish is consumed?
2.5 How much fruits and vegetables are consumed?
2.6 What future changes in food consumption are expected?
2.7 Conclusions on food consumption

Diets evolve over time because of factors such as changes infood availability, food prices, and level of income.Traditional, largely plant-based diets are being replaced bydiets that are high in sugars and animal fats and low instarches, dietary fibre,fruits, and vegetables. This transition, combined with a generaltrend towards a more sedentary lifestyle and a low level ofphysical activity, is an underlying factor in the risk ofdeveloping chronicdiseases.

This text is a summary of: WHO/FAODiet, Nutrition and the prevention of chronic diseases
3.1 Introduction

Level 1: Summary
Level 2: Details

2.1 How many (kilo)calories are consumed every day?

Figure 2: Calories from
major commodities in
developing countries

The food consumption per person is often estimated based onnational (sales) statistics that are averaged out over theentire population. In termsof energy content, expressed in kilocalories(kcal) per person per day,the average food consumption appears to have steadily increasedin countries around the world.

On average, the amount of food consumed per person hasincreased by nearly 20% between the mid 1960s and late 1990s,reaching an estimated 2803kcal per day. The increasehas generally been even greater in developing countries.However, levels of consumption have remained nearly constant insub-Saharan Africa and have fallen in countries in economictransition.

2.2 How much fat is consumed?

Saturated fatty acids
are often found in animalproducts

As the overall food consumption is increasing, the fat contentof the diet (including fats and oils contained in or added tofoods) is also changing. Over the past three decades aremarkable increase in theintake of dietary fats andhas taken place practically everywhere, except in Africa whereconsumption levels have stagnated. The fat consumption remainshighest in parts of North America and Europe.

Table 3: Trends in the dietary supply of fat

The recommended share of dietary energy (inkcal) that should bederived from fats ranges from a minimum of 15% to a maximum of35%. In 1990, however, energy from fats fell below therecommended minimum in several countries in sub-Saharan Africaand South Asia, whilst it exceeded the recommended maximum inmany countries in Western Europe and North America.

Dietary fats are made up of differentfatty acids depending onthe food source. A growing proportion of fats are acquired fromanimal products which tend to be particularly high in saturatedfats.

Saturated fatty acidsare often found in animal fats and, eaten in highquantities, can raisecholesterol levels.
Monounsaturated andpolyunsaturated fatty acidsare found in nuts, seafood and certain vegetable oils andcan lower cholesterol levels.
Trans-fatty acidsareunsaturated fatty acidsthat behave in a similar way to saturated fatty acids. Theyare found inhydrogenated oils, suchas margarines, and some animal-based foods and can raisecholesterol levels.

The consumption of certain types of vegetable oils isincreasing in parts of the world. In particular, in developingcountries, the intake ofhardened margarines (that are rich intrans-fatty acids) isincreasing because they do not need to be refrigerated.

As the demand for olive oil has increased, production hasshifted from traditional methods to a more intensive form ofcultivation, which might have negative effects on theenvironment. The development of new processes may enable theproduction of oil that has a healthy fatty acid composition.

This text is a summary of: WHO/FAODiet, Nutrition and the prevention of chronic diseases
Section 3.3 Availability and changes in consumption of dietary fat

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Level 2: Details

2.3 How much animal products are consumed?

The livestock sector is growing at an unprecedented rate as aresult of populationgrowth, rising incomes, and urbanization (which leads to betterdistribution network for a wider variety of animal products).Although the average consumption of animal products has stronglyincreased in countries such as Brazil and China, the levels arestill well below that of North America and most other developedcountries.

Table 4: Per capita consumption of livestock products

As diets become richer and more diverse, the high-valueprotein that the livestocksector offers improves the nutrition of the vast majority of theworld. Livestock products not only provide high-value proteinbut are also important sources of a wide range of essentialmicronutrients. Thesenutrients include mineralssuch as iron and zinc, andvitamins such asvitamin A. For the largemajority of people in the world, particularly in developingcountries, livestock products remain a desired food fornutritional value and taste. However, excessive consumption ofanimal products can lead to excessiveintakes of fat in somecountries and social classes leading to health risks.

The growing demand for livestock products results in moreintensive production systems that are likely to have undesirableimpacts on the environment. For instance, meat productionrequires a lot more land and water than the production ofplant-based foods. Whilst a hectare of land may provide enoughrice or potatoes to feed 19 to 22 people over one year, the sameamount of land only provide enough lamb or beef to feed one ortwo people.

2.4 How much fish is consumed?

2.5 How much fruits and vegetables are consumed?

Vegetables recommended
for good health

Figure 3: Trends in the supply of vegetables per capita

A diet high in fruits and vegetables is recommended for a goodhealth, yet currently only a small minority of the world’spopulation eats an adequateamount.

Between 1970 and 2000, the average worldwide consumption ofvegetables increased from 60 kg to over 100 kg per person, buttrends vary between countries and regions. A low consumption offruits and vegetables is a persistent phenomenon in many regionsof the developing world, especially in Africa.

In urban areas, people tend to be further away from primaryfood production which may reduce their access to fresh fruit andvegetables. In this situation the poor may find it especiallyhard to obtain fruits and vegetables whilst people with higherincomes may have better access to a more diverse and nutritiousdiet.

This text is a summary of: WHO/FAODiet, Nutrition and the prevention of chronic diseases
Section 3.6 Availability and consumption of fruits and vegetables

Level 1: Summary
Level 2: Details

2.6 What future changes in food consumption are expected?

2.7 Conclusions on food consumption

Changes in diets are needed to cope with the burgeoningepidemic ofchronic diseases. Allsectors in the food chain, from "farm to table", will need to beinvolved in meeting this challenge.

Recommended actions include:

carrying out consumption surveys that provide morereliable information on actual food consumption patternsthan national statistics.
monitoring the impact of dietary recommendations onconsumer behavior.
considering how agriculture, livestock,fisheries andhorticulture could deal with potential future demands of anincreasing and more affluentpopulation.
addressing the impacts of intensive productionsystems, longer storage and transport routes, changes incomposition and diversity of consumption patterns.
taking into account the role of trade in the contextof improving diet, nutrition and the prevention ofchronic diseases.
considering the impact of agricultural policies andsubsidies on the structure of the agricultural sector andfood availability.

This text is a summary of: WHO/FAODiet, Nutrition and the prevention of chronic diseases
Section 3.8 Conclusions

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