Western capitalism whose modus operandi is profit maximization made fresh fruits and vegetables unaffordable luxury for many of Americans, replacing fresh food with cheap ‘junk food’ that is full of refined sugars (or simply corn syrup) and refined carbohydrates. As a result only about twenty five percent of U.S. adults and less than a quarter of adolescents eat the recommended five or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day. This worrisome statistics cannot but negatively affect the general health of the citizens of the richest country in the world
Taking an eighteen hour flight from obese stricken US I found myself in Thailand. The ‘land of smiles’ as it was advertised to me by my travel agent. Quite fast I have realized that it is also a land of beautiful and happy people with very few of the adults as obese as I have witnessed in America. I was also pleasantly surprised by the abundance of low priced fresh fruits and vegetables sold on all corners of Bangkok, and for that matter any Thai city.
But a few days into my Thai trip I started to notice other things I had seen in the Western world: convenience stores filled with junk food, fast food restaurants and ever- present ads for sweets, cakes and carbonated drinks. Wherever I went to eat out sugar and MSG were added by default. Whole-wheat sandwiches were nowhere to be found, while no one except prisoners and pigs ate brown unpolished rice.
I also saw more and more obese kinds whose parents were happy to please every whim of their child . I made a few friends while in Thailand and all of them were addicted to 3 things: spicy food, MSG and Pepsi. Thais were also willing to pay more in relative and absolute numbers for the Western fast food, while local foods were healthier and cheaper.
It seemed perplexing. In the United States people eat at McDonald’s or at KFC not because of the high cuisine they can experience in these eating establishments, but because it is what they can afford. There are no alternatives to cheap food. They order ‘pop’ at Taco bell because it is the only drink that is sold there. Unlike Thailand there are no stalls with freshly squeezed juice in US, while American Jamba Juice is an expensive luxury few can afford on a daily basis now that the global capitalism is gravely ill with cancer.
So why would Thais forgo freshly cooked foods with vegetables and resort to McDonald’s ‘food’ that is more expensive for them? Why would they forgo fresh juice and buy Pepsi?
In certain respects Thais with means to afford fast food and soda drinks choose to do so in order to distinguish themselves from their not so fortunate fellow citizens who survive on the traditional diet-rice, vegetables and chicken. And since most of the notorious junk food and drinks come from the West, buying that junk makes a Thai person see himself or herself even higher in the Thai societal hierarchy.
But the true answer to that question is evident, unless one is completely blind. It is the power of advertisements in Thailand. They are everywhere! And I mean everywhere! Even the police department booths are sponsored by fast food! And if it is not an ad for a whitening cream, or a new smart phone it is either fast food or carbonated drinks that are ‘drilled’ into the minds of Thais.
Children of course are the most susceptible to the tricks and gimmicks used by clever marketers because they are easily persuaded by the ads and are quickly hooked on that junk food. According to American experts, in children, soft drinks have been linked to addict-like cravings, as well as twisting kids’ appetites so they hunger for junk food.
One just needs to enter school cafeterias around Thailand to see that children are eating as though they are not in the land abundantly blessed with fruits and vegetables all year around, but in a country where a disaster has killed all the crops. A Filipino teacher from the Sarasas Bilingual School in the Samutsakhorn province says that during recess her children (aged 4-11) are lining up to buy hotdogs, ice cream, chips and sweet drinks. “No one buys vegetables or fruits because they are not sold here. And even if they were sold no one would still buy them because these kids are addicted to processed sugar” said Grace. Everyone seems to be oblivious to the dangers of it, even Thai teachers! Thai Health Department says that results from its recent survey showed that fifty percent of children nationwide have tooth decay[1].
But the problems do not end with damaged teeth. Research conducted between 1996-2001 by Dr Ladda Mohsuwan, a pediatrician from the Prince of Songkla University, showed that sixteen to thirty-six percent of Thai children were suffering from obesity problems. The study involving forty-seven thousand children and 268 schools nationwide also revealed that twelve percent were obese and five percent were overweight.[2] (Note: An adult who has a BMI (body mass index) between 25 and 29.9 is considered overweight. An adult who has a BMI of 30 or higher is considered obese).
It is not surprising then that a growing number of Thai children are being diagnosed with diabetes, due to obesity, over-consumption of sugar and too little physical exercise. The disease translates from Thai as “sweet urine disease” and, in rural provinces, it’s traditionally self-diagnosed when villagers notice ants gathering around their outdoor toilet.
Sadly but logically these kids grow up into sick adults. Thai Public Health Ministry found 1.5 million Thais with diabetes out of 22.2 million people age 35 and over in 2011, while according to estimates, half of all diabetics are oblivious to their disease. Nearly one in ten Thais now suffers from the disease, a rate even worse than America’s- one in twelve[3] Among the 1.5 million patients, about 270,000, or 18 per cent, had complications such as kidney failure, and impaired eyesight from cataracts and glaucoma. Thailand's Public Health Ministry forecasts the number of Thai diabetes patients will nearly triple to more than 4 million in the next eight years, with about 52,800 patients dying of the disease on average annually.[4]
But the issue goes farther than Thailand. Two-thirds of diabetics, according to InterAsia (a research cooperative between U.S., Chinese and Thai universities) estimates, now live in the developing world. Four out of five patients will be Asian, and mainly found in Southeast Asia, while there will also be patients less than 14 years of age in the future.
Not surprising then the PepsiCo executives see continued growth in Asian markets, with Thailand, India and China being the priority countries to enjoy highest business expansion this year. The three are among 29 countries worldwide US-based Pepsi Co selected as its priority markets. Aside from these there are three more Asian countries on the list - Vietnam, South Korea and the Philippines. [5]
And of all Asian markets, according to Pepsi Co Beverages International-Asia, Thailand has the greatest potential for growth, mainly due to the low per-capita soft-drink consumption here. Just100[6] bottles a year per person are consumed compared with 500 bottles in Australia and almost 200 bottles in the Philippines[7]. Another study found that the average annual per capita soft drink consumption value rate was 297 baht for the population of 8.087 million residents in southern Thailand. [8] Research company ACNielsen reported that Thailand's carbonated drink market is valued at forty four billion Thai baht.
According to Euromotor, in 2012 the overall soft drinks market in Thailand continued to maintain healthy growth of 6% in both total value and volume. This growth can be attributed to the leading manufacturers’ aggressive marketing activities and new product developments.[9]
Thirty-eight year old Or Chunrum says that she cannot live without Pepsi. “My body just needs it. If I don’t follow that urge I get angry! I just need it like people need cigarettes, I guess”. Her 8 year old daughter Prea and 7 year old niece are equally addicted to Pepsi, preferring it to the newly marketed Est drink.
But soft drinks are just the tip of the iceberg. There are sweet teas and juices as well as other trendy drinks like Starbucks coffee. According to my own research conducted among the students of one of Bangkok’s metropolitan universities (90% of whom are between the ages of 20 and 22) 32.3 % drank soft drinks during the day, while 38.7 % drank sweetened tea or coffee. When in Starbucks cafe 63.3 % were purchasing coffee with milk or sugar that average 38 .4 grams of carbohydrates per drink.[10]
Already, countries such as Denmark and France are introducing soft-drink taxes to cut consumption. Unlike Michael Bloomberg[11] who led the campaign against soft drinks in New York and Obama fighting junk selling vending machines in US schools[12] Thai politicians seem to be in cohort with the food corporations.
Looking into the future
In 1959 G. D. Campbell showed that there seemed to be a uniform period in a population exposed to a diabetogenic factor in their midst, before the disease itself appears amongst them. This period was formulated as 'The Rule of Twenty Years'.[13]
So how will Thais look like in 20 years? Will they still be fit, good-looking and happy or will they become a mini Americans, they so want to emulate?
Will children addicted to refined sugar and processed carbohydrates consume vegetables and fruits when they become adults? To Napaporn Sowattanangoon, a diabetes specialist with Thailand’s Mahidol University the answer is obvious: “most probably these kids will turn into adults addicted to sweet food.”
