SUVA, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Fijian President Jioji Konrote joined on Wednesday the Food and Agriculture Organisation in encouraging people to focus on eating a healthy diet with the World Food Day being celebrated in the island nation.
Speaking at the celebrations held in Savusavu, a town in the south coast of Fiji's northern island of Vanua Levu, Konrote said in recent decades, Fijians have dramatically changed their lives and eating habits as a result of globalisation, urbanisation, income growth and lifestyle.
Fijians had moved away from seasonal plant-based fiber rich diets and adapted diets that are high in refined starch, sugar, salt, and processed foods, he said, adding that there is now a heavy reliance on supermarket foods, fast food outlets, street food vendors, takeaway restaurants even though fresh local vegetables and crops are available for consumption all year round in Fiji.
The president said the local population should eat the right foods with the right proportions as acquiring a healthy life is always a better option.
This year, the World Food Day calls for action across sectors to make healthy and sustainable diets affordable and accessible to everyone.
At the same time, it calls on everyone to start thinking about what they eat.
The theme for World Food Day this year is Our Health Our Future, Healthy Diets for a Zero Hunger World.
The World Food Day is celebrated every year around the world on October 16 in honor of the date of the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 1945. The day is celebrated widely by many other organizations concerned with food security, including the World Food Program and the International Fund for Agricultural Development.
According to Fiji's Ministry of Health, non-communicable disease like Ischemic Heart Disease, Diabetes Mellitus and Cerebrovascular disease are the leading causes of mortality in Fiji leading to premature deaths. The three risk factors that account for the most disease burden in Fiji are high body-mass index, dietary risks and high fasting plasma glucose.
