Global economic crisis ruining diets, health, says WHO chief

Geneva, July 6

The head of the World Health Organization, Margaret Chan, said Monday that the global economic crisis was causing people to ditch healthy foods and this would lead to health problems.

"When money is tight, the first thing that drop out of the diets are the healthy foods," said Chan, adding that these are "almost always more expensive" than processed items.

This was particularly true in the developing world, where chronic diet related diseases were on the rise, she noted.

Chan also warned about the welfare of the world's poorest who were most vulnerable to the slightest shifts in the global economy.

"One billion are living on the margins of survival - it does not take much to push them over the brink," she said.

The swine flu pandemic which is spreading around the world could also have a "devastating impact" on the poorer economies, where health care systems are weaker.

She called for "fairness" in restructured global financial and economic systems. Furthermore, government budgets should put a greater focus on developing their health systems.

"The price of failure keeps getting bigger and bigger," she said about the lack of development for medical infrastructure and services.

Last updated on Jul 6^th, 2009 at 15:59 pm IST--DPA

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