Fresh Plaza
Penn State University Research
Morocco’s food landscape has been undergoing a major shift: Obesity is on the rise, while traditional and healthier food is becoming more scarce.
Penn State geography researcher Bronwen Powell wants to know what’s driving these trends. She and her team are in Morocco, investigating how different foods end up in markets and how community members view those foods.
Fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes are considered traditional foods in Morocco, but demand for these has declined recently.”Processed wheat flour is increasingly being used instead of whole wheat or barley flour to make bread, meat and other animal sources of protein are replacing legumes, and people are more and more favouring imported vegetables instead of traditional (wild) vegetables,” Powell said.
Not having access to, or the loss of cultural importance of, healthy traditional food options could have a significant impact on diets and could help explain the country’s shifting health patterns.
News.psu.edu reports how, according to the International Food Policy Research Institute, 35 percent of women in Morocco are estimated to have anaemia, 57 percent of all Moroccans are overweight, 22 percent are obese and Type 2 diabetes is on the rise.
“Many of the traditional foods are being lost from Moroccan diets, such as whole grains, especially barley, and fruits and vegetables, and also those associated with lowering the risk of obesity and Type 2 diabetes,” said Powell.
