“Future Diets”, a report from the Overseas Development Department (ODI), warns that one in three adults in the world were overweight or obese in 2008, up by 23% since 1980. Obesity rate soars to an alarming level especially in developing countries, where the number of overweight and obese people (904 mln) is greater than in rich countries (557 mln). North Africa, Middle- East and Latin America now have a rate of obesity of 57%, the same percentage of overweight or obese people as Europe.

"The growing rates of overweight and obesity in developing countries are alarming," said the report's author, ODI research fellow Steve Wiggins. "On current trends, globally, we will see a huge increase in the number of people suffering certain types of cancer, diabetes, strokes and heart attacks, putting an enormous burden on public healthcare systems."

The main causes of obesity in developing countries are rising incomes and urbanization, which tend to lead to diets rich in meat, fat, salt and sugar. As a matter of fact, the consumption of sugar and sweeteners has risen by over 20% per person between 1961 and 2009.

At the same time, there is a tragic ongoing paradox: hundreds of millions of people under-consume the right amount on dietary energy and one third of children in the world are stunted.

Despite globalization has led to the homogenization in diets, there is still scope for policies that can influence the food choices that people make. To implement measures that have specific dietary objectives can lead to good results: South Koreans, thanks to education campaign, including training of women to prepare traditional low-fat, high-vegetable meals, ate 300% more fruit and 10% more vegetables in 2009 compared to 1980; Denmark, in 2004, banned the use of trans fat acids considered one of the main factor of cardiovascular diseases.

In general, the report warns that governments have no will to take strong measures to influence diets and the food industry. Furthermore many people see food choices as a matter of personal freedom. However, it seems that in the future people will demand for stronger and effective policies to influence food consumption.