[Last modified: November, 12 2024 10:53 AM]
In my previous I drew attention to the plethora of beliefs linked to our food choices, be they religious, moral or health-focused beliefs. The popular saying “You are what you eat” implies that we use food as a tool to define our identity and our aspirations.
As such, food consumption can be highly political. This is evident is multiple ways but is perhaps most pronounced when considering the topic of food consumption and public health.
It is well published that the UK as well as almost all other “developed” countries are facing an obesity crisis. Governments have responded to this challenge in various ways. Over the past decade in the UK we have seen additional regulations put in place for advertising (fast) food, a limitation of proximity of certain food outlets to schools and since 2022 the gradual implementation of the HFSS (High Fat Sugar and Salt) system.
HFSS is a system of identifying “unhealthy” foods based on nutrient values. If products fall within the definitions set by the HFSS regulations, it will impact tax levels, store positioning and promotion and advertising limitations for those products.
The roll out of HFSS regulations has been postponed several times and is at present not fully completed. The regulations have proven unpopular with food manufacturers and food retailers alike who have actively lobbied against these regulations. Early results from October 2022 showed a reduction in sales for certain HFSS food groups. However, this has not coincided with a reduction of obesity levels in the UK.
Meanwhile, to make up for the sales deficit, new product development has focused on circumventing HFSS regulations. In practice, this means food manufacturers using alternatives to sugar, salt and fat and in the process, creating products which are even more highly processed than their predecessors.
This poses questions on the efficiency of HFSS on obesity as well as overall health, especially as we see a more pronounced critique of ultra-processed food and the threat to health as spearheaded by people such as Dr. Chris van Tulleken (2023).
The oversimplification of the causes of the obesity crisis has led to policies which are not necessarily effective and possibly pose further health risks. Simultaneously, the UK government proposing weight loss medication for the unemployed and overweight shows how the failure of food policies is leading to greater interventions.
Although a single anthropological study will not turn the tide, it is the wholistic context that ethnography provides that adds value in the discussion of obesity. No man, and no issue is an island.
An understanding that issues such as obesity are often interlinked with other challenges that life poses, can prevent an oversimplification of policies. In my view, the role of anthropology is to support moving the debate to respectful and wholistic approaches which positively impact people’s health and wider wellbeing.