Westernization of Asian diets and the transformation of food systems: Implications for research and policy
Section snippets
Diet and nutrition change in Asia
The process of diet transformation in Asia can be seen as involving two separate stages: (i) income-induced diet diversification and (ii) diet globalization and westernization. At the start of the process of faster economic growth, diets diversify but maintain predominantly traditional features. As urbanization and globalization begin to exert their influence, we see the adoption of markedly different diets that no longer conform to the traditional local habits.
The main determinant of the
Transformation of food supply systems
Asia is observing a dramatic transformation in its food supply systems in response to rapid urbanization, diet diversification, and the liberalization of foreign direct investment in the food sector. The observed changes are in both the retail sector as well as in the production sector. This section describes the changes in food supply systems, with a particular emphasis on provisioning the cities and meeting the needs of the changing Asian diet.
Feeding the burgeoning urban masses is one of the
Commercialization of the small holder agriculture
The issue of agricultural commercialization and the small farmer is by no means new. Most developing countries have witnessed agriculture “moving away from traditional self-sufficiency” to an activity where “farm output is … more responsive to market trends” (Pingali and Rosegrant, 1995). It has long been understood that with increasing economic growth, small farm production systems could not remain static and would need to gear themselves to some degree of commercialization for their survival.
Challenges for food and research policy
The persistence of hunger in most Asian countries means that ensuring adequate and nutritious food for the population will remain the principal challenge facing policy makers in the years to come. However, the rapid transformation of diets and the changes in food systems at all levels (production, processing and distribution/retail) pose a number of important additional challenges to food security and food policy, small holder welfare, and agricultural research and development priorities.
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The views expressed in this paper are those of the author and should not be attributed to FAO.