Note: These
figures are based on simple counting method of topic headings and do not allow
for differences in length or depth of feature articles.
COMMENTS
ON MOST POPULAR TOPICS
Food
Safety/Microbial (Yr 2004-28%, Yr 2003-15%)
Media interest in this topic was
raised throughout the year, compared to previous year largely due to coverage of
avian flu. Other common themes were mass food poisoning incidents, and national,
inter-governmental and regional initiatives intended to improve safety
standards. EU enactment of food safety legislation remains an influential driver
and this in turn generates a great deal of interest in local media on the impact
on food export trade. WHO and FAO held 2 very important conferences in the
region intended to support efforts to improve food safety, which is a major
challenge in this region, and indeed globally (annual number worldwide of
food-borne illness cases is estimated to be 1.8-3.1 billion, and 2 million
deaths per year may be directly attributed to diarrhoea). WHO recently launched
the ‘5 Keys to Food Safety’ campaign. For more information, please click on
WHO press release.
Biotechnology
(Yr
2004-9%, Yr 2003-11%)
Most common media trigger in 2004
was proposals by various countries in and outside the region for regulatory
change/development and its implementation. Countries of particular interest in
2004 included China, Thailand and India. Also policy review and proposals for
change in the EU stimulated some public interest. However, overall news interest
fell by 2%, perhaps reflecting overall a year of less significant activity or
change. 2005 looks set to be quite different, as biotechnology is used to
address some of the challenges associated with under nutrition of their world’s
poor. In particular, efforts to develop more nutrient-dense varieties of staple
crops using traditional breeding techniques with the assistance of biotechnology
tools such as genomics, and marker–assisted crossing, could generate increased
interest in the role of biotechnology in improved nutrition, food security and
food safety. This issue was highlighted in the 2004 FAO ‘State of Food and
Agriculture Report’ and Directors General, Dr Diouf’s comments on its release.
For more information, start by clicking
here.
BSE/Mad
Cow Disease
(Yr 2004-9%, Yr
2003-11%)
Public interest in this topic is
sustained mainly by events and development which fall outside food consumption
and human health scope. The year began with the first confirmed case ever in the
US. Subsequent import ban and trade negotiations on testing standards and
resumption of trade sustained a significant degree of coverage. Transient
concerns over transmissibility to humans of scrapie in sheep, and similar
infection in goats were observed but faded quickly. More broadly, concerns over
long term implications for human health of zoonotic disease (infections in
animals that may cause illness in humans who become infected) are beginning to
receive more interest. Globally, experts are considering strategies to address
this risk, locally; this is likely to mean radical change to local methods of
animal rearing, sales of live animals and handling of carcasses and end
products. For more
information from OIE, the
international organisation responsible for animal health, click
here.
Overweight/Obesity/Weight
Control
(Yr 2004-7%, Yr 2003-5%)
Escalating numbers worldwide of
the number of those overweight or obese continues to rise, and is now well
recognised by public health specialists as one of the most important health
issues facing rich and poor nations alike. Strong links between overweight and
many of the most common chronic degenerative diseases (such as heart disease,
hypertension, Type 2 diabetes), pose an especially significant challenge for
much of Asia. For instance, severely limited public health resources to meet
rising health care costs; loss of economic output due to ill health in countries
already battling with lower GDP; and as life expectancy rises, very large
increases in the numbers of elderly requiring health services will all add to
national burden’s of obesity-related disease.. The Asia Oceania Association for
the Study of Obesity is holding the third conference on obesity and overweight
in Asia in February ‘05. For more information, click
here.
Children’s
Diet and Health
(Yr 2004-6%, Yr
2003-4%)
This is a topic of increasing
importance and rising public interest. Many Asian countries are facing the
challenges of both under and over nutrition simultaneously. Overweight, obesity
and ill health associated with excess body weight such as Type 2 diabetes is
becoming increasingly common in Asia, as a result of many social changes
including improvements in transportation, more leisure time, television
ownership, in short, an increasingly sedentary lifestyle, along with greater
purchasing power and availability of energy dense foods. A 1997 survey in of
children in China found 7.7% to b overweight for example, and similar prevalence
figures are found in many SEA countries such as Malaysia, Thailand and
Singapore. At the same time, under-nutrition remains a serious barrier to many
of Asia’s children realising their full potential. The most common childhood
nutritional deficiencies in Asia are iodine, iron and vitamin A. Inadequate
intakes of zinc and calcium are also common. In addition, indicators of
protein-energy malnutrition such as high levels of stunting are still common is
some of the poorest countries in the region. In 2004 UNICEF and the
Micronutrient Initiatives released a comprehensive global report on current
vitamin and mineral nutrition status, current success stories and barriers and
proposals for future progress in eliminating under nutrition in Asia and other
regions of the world. The report may be accessed by clicking
here.
Healthy
Eating/Lifestyles
(Yr 2004-6%, Yr
2003-6%)
In 2004, public and media interest
in the benefits of healthy eating and lifestyles, and conversely the risks
associated with lifelong unhealthy behaviours remained strong. The endorsement
in May at the 57th World Health Assembly of the Global Strategy on
Diet, Physical Activity and Health was probably the single most important
international event in 2004 intended to promote healthy lifestyles for chronic
degenerative disease risk reduction. The consultation process and the subsequent
strategy have catalysed a process of review and strategy development in both
public, and private sector stakeholders.
The strategy may be accessed by
clicking
here.
The
Asian Food information Centre is a not-for profit Singapore-registered
organization Its mission is to effectively communicate sound science based
information on food safety, health and nutrition to the media and other key
audiences in Asia
