Fiji is facing a dual nutrition crisis marked by rising obesity rates alongside persistent micronutrient deficiencies.

National Food and Nutrition Centre Acting Manager Kriti Prasad outlined these concerns today at the launch of the Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labelling workshop.

Children under five experience stunting at seven point two percent and wasting at four point six percent, while nearly forty percent suffer from anemia.

Overweight and obesity affect seven point seven percent of children, with the rate rising to thirty-four percent among adolescents.

Women of reproductive age have a thirty-two percent anemia rate, with sixty-five percent classified as overweight. Anemia also impacts nearly forty percent of men.

“Poor diets characterized by less intake of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, milk and nuts and seeds. So we have shifted from taking traditional foods to processed foods. And processed foods, as you know, are always mostly high in sodium, sugar or fats”

Prasad identified poor infant feeding practices as a major contributor, noting that exclusive breastfeeding rates are only forty-three percent for babies under six months.

Diets have shifted away from traditional foods towards processed options high in sugar, sodium, and fats.

Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages exceeds World Health Organization recommendations by ten times, and salt intake remains dangerously high.

Fiji’s reliance on imported and processed foods has increased to more than sixty-eight percent since 2009, while local food production remains below fifty percent.

Although Fiji was among the first countries to enact the WHO Code restricting marketing of breast milk substitutes in 2010, regulatory protections weakened in 2016, undermining key safeguards.

To tackle these challenges, Fiji plans to launch revised school health policies and strengthen school canteen regulations in 2025, aiming to encourage healthier choices among young people.

This growing nutrition crisis, according to Prasad presents serious health risks and calls for urgent, coordinated action across multiple sectors.

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