THE RAVAGING EFFECTS of non-communicable diseases have not stopped Barbados and other regional states from importing a high amount of unhealthy foods.
And the local representative of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Ena Harvey, is worried that countries could end up seeing far more damage if the situation is not brought under control.
“Despite the rich tradition of food production in the region, however, sadly almost 71 per cent of food consumed in the Caribbean is imported. Half of the countries in the Caribbean import more than 80 per cent of the food they consume,” she said, estimating that the Caribbean spent between four and six per cent of GDP on the management of hypertension and adult diabetes alone.
“This has a direct impact on the quality and amount of food accessed in the region. Much of the food imported is also calorie-dense, high fat, highly sweetened, and our populations are now caught up in a tsunami of chronic non-communicable diseases brought about by unhealthy lifestyles and poor food choices.” (WILLCOMM)
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