The double burden of malnutrition is an increasingly important challenge in southern Africa particularly in urban centres where economic inequalities are high. At the same time, economic development and urbanisation are contributing to nutrition transitions towards more diverse (non-maize centred) and more western dietary patterns. In some contexts, this is contributing to improved intake of micro-nutrients and helping to address protein deficiencies, but it is also contributing to the increased consumption of processed oils, fats and red meat, which can be associated with diet-related diseases. Dietary transitions also contribute to new societal exposure to new food safety-related health risks, for example antibiotics, hormones, disinfectants and animal vectors of disease.
Work Package 5 compares diet transition trajectories across two urban centres – Lusaka (Zambia) and Pretoria (South Africa) - to understand the interrelationships between food access, social equality, the double burden of malnutrition and exposure to food safety-related health risks.
