| The last few decades have seen fundamental changes in food consumption patterns around the world. These changes were characterized not only by an increase in overall calorie intakes but also by a shift in the composition of the diet towards more meat, eggs, dairy products as well as more fats and oils, i.e. a shift towards high calorie diets that are also much richer in saturated fats and cholesterol. The main drivers of this transition include factors such as: (i) rapidly falling real prices for food; (ii) urbanization with the development of new marketing channels and the spread of supermarkets into developing countries; (iii) and freer trade and globalization with the emergence of large, trans-nationally operating food companies. This diet transition... |
