OSLO (Reuters) — An increasing similarity in diets worldwide is a threat to health and food security as many people forsake traditional crops such as cassava, sorghum and millet, says an international study.
The report said it found increased consumption of food such as wheat, rice, soybeans and sunflowers.
Among the shifts, Pacific islanders are eating fewer coconuts as a source of fat and many people in Southeast Asia are receiving fewer calories from rice, it said.
“More people are consuming more calories, protein and fat, and they rely increasingly on a shortlist of major food crops … along with meat and dairy products,” said Colin Hoary, leader of the study at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture in Colombia.
Such diets have been linked to risks of heart disease, cancers and diabetes, the study said.
Reliance on a narrower group of food crops also raises vulnerability to pests and diseases that might gain because of climate change.
