Rising awareness of obesity in China could spur on healthy snacking

Rising obesity in China is becoming an increasingly cumbersome problem, especially among youth. But rising awareness of the issue could spur a shift towards healthier snacking options in the future.

According to a global study of obesity China has more obese children than any other country.

The study, “the Health Effects of Overweight and Obesity in 195 Countries Over 25 Years” conducted by a team at the University of Washington, concluded that China had 15 million obese children in 2015.

According to another study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, 17% of boys and 9% of girls under age 19 were obese in 2014.

What is shocking about this is not the numbers themselves but the rapid rise – in 1985 less than 1% of children were obese.

Changes in consumption which favor the less healthy elements of Western diets are arguably the main contributor to this phenomenon, although lack of exercise is also a factor. The main culprits are high calorie food and drink from fast food chains as well as in packaged forms. Lack of health awareness and education up to this point means that consumers fail to take into consideration the long term impact of unhealthy eating habits.

Awareness of the problem, however, has begun to rise. The Chinese central government has implemented a health plan which seeks to make “health as habit” among Chinese consumers. This includes encouraging physical exercise and developing a national nutrition plan.

This kind of action taken by the central government will contribute to consumer awareness of the health risks associated with obesity and could spur a shift towards healthy snacking options, particularly for children. According to GlobalData’s Q1 2017 Global Survey, 81% of Chinese consumers are concerned about obesity and 21% are actively buying products to deal with it.

Low fat and low sugar options may grow in popularity, much as they have in Western countries. This will almost certainly happen if health becomes associated with affluence.

Brands could have the opportunity to win over a nascent healthy snacking market in China; the only question is when obesity awareness will reach its tipping point.