FIJI’S growing reliance on processed and preserved foods is contributing to the country’s worsening non-communicable disease (NCD) burden, with poor food choices increasingly affecting people of all ages.
Food and Nutrition lecturer at The University of the South Pacific (USP) Dr Poonam Singh said the selection of cheap, processed foods was a major concern.
“In our country we are seeing that NCD number is increasing in children and in any age groups nowadays,” Dr Singh said during the Ayurveda Day 2026 event at the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre in Suva on Wednesday last week.
“One of the major reasons for that is the selection of wrong choices of food.
“We are mostly relying on processed food.”
She said consumers often chose cheaper canned and preserved products, including meat products and foods containing sauces, spices, colours and preservatives.
Dr Singh urged people to make informed choices by checking expiry dates and nutritional labels before buying processed food.
“This type of habit will really help in controlling NCDs in our country.”
She also warned that the taste of processed foods could encourage people to consume larger quantities.
“Because they are tasty, we tend to eat in a larger amount which makes us drowsy or lazy.”
