Junk foods put children’s health at risk

 The United Nation’s (UN), Child Nutrition Report 2025 indicates that 188 million children now live with obesity globally, a figure that has tripled since 2000.

According to the new report for the first time in recorded history, obesity among school-age children and adolescents has overtaken underweight.

The figures are stark: since 2000, obesity rates have tripled, with 391 million children and adolescents overweight and nearly half of them classified as obese.

This signals a troubling change in global health with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) describing it as a red flag that must not be ignored.

Hitherto, the central concern for children was malnutrition; today, over consumption of junk foods such as pizzas, burgers, fizzy drinks, noodles, etc are emerging as a far greater threat.

Junk foods and fizzy drinks are aggressively marketed across schools, shops and digital plat­forms thereby displacing the craving for balanced diets.

Childhood obesity is strongly linked to conditions such as type-two diabetes, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, among other ailments that were once largely confined to adulthood.

Beyond the human cost, the economic toll is projected to ex­ceed $4 trillion annually by 2035 if urgent steps are not taken.

UNICEF is therefore calling for firm action from government and stakeholders which includes mandatory food labelling, restric­tions on advertising to children, and stronger safety nets to ensure families can afford nutritious meals.

These are practical measures that governments can implement. More broadly, there is a need to rethink food environments that currently put profit above chil­dren’s health.

It is important to note that underweight has not disappeared, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, where malnutri­tion remains a pressing concern.

But the wider picture now shows obesity as the more domi­nant challenge across most re­gions. That dual burden of too little food in some places and too much unhealthy food in others reflects the failures of global food systems.

It is important for parents to include fruits, vegetables and proteins in the meals given to children. This will help support their immune system, prevent dis­ease, and improve their digestive health.

Families alone cannot be expected to fight a tide of adver­tising, cheap calories and limited access to healthier options.

Governments, industry and communities share responsibility for correcting this course. Regula­tion, public education and support for affordable alternatives are essential.

Addressing childhood obesity is not simply about diet, it is about safeguarding future generations from preventable diseases and giving them the chance to thrive. The time for action is now.