Worldwide, over 1 billion people are living with obesity. It’s become such a serious issue that the World Health Organization has called it an “epidemic.” According to a 2022 WHO report, Turkey ranks first in Europe for rates of overweight and obesity, with 66.8% of people affected.
Turkey is also one of the world’s high-income nations that is experiencing the sharpest rise in obesity. By 2030, it’s estimated that 27 million people in Turkey — or one in three — will be obese.
Health and social experts attribute this trend to insufficient nutrition, social inequality, unhealthy food supplies and a lack of coherent policy strategies. Studies indicate that one in five children in Turkey suffers from malnutrition, at least 10% of whom are overweight or obese.
‘Poverty is the problem’
For years, Turkey has faced high food price inflation, reducing citizens’ purchasing power. Hacer Foggo, a Turkish poverty researcher and activist, said the growing number of obese children can be linked to extreme poverty.
“Malnutrition can stunt growth and lead to obesity,” she said, pointing to a 2022 study by the Turkish Statistical Institute showing that 62.4% of children in Turkey predominantly eat bread and pasta. These findings, she added, have not been taken seriously enough.
Bulent Sik, a food researcher, sees a direct link between the rise in child obesity and the widespread consumption of highly processed foods with low nutritional value and a high sugar content.
“The increasing consumption of cheap, easily accessible snacks and sugary soft drinks is directly tied to the rise in obesity,” he said. As long as the manufacturing of these products is not regulated, he added, most political measures remain merely symbolic.
Sik also warned of another risk: the use of toxic chemicals in food production, such as pesticides and certain additives that are related to hormonal imbalances and weight gain. “Some of these toxic substances have a negative impact on hormone systems,” he explained, “which poses a serious threat, especially for growing children.”
He cited a study by Greenpeace Turkey showing that one-third of produce sold in Istanbul contained pesticide residues that can disrupt hormones, impede neurological development and potentially cause cancer. Despite these findings, Sik said, government food oversight policies still focus primarily on calorie counting.
Health Ministry launches national campaign
Turkey’s Health Ministry has launched a national public health campaign to combat obesity, setting up stations in busy public areas and at event venues to measure citizens’ height, weight and body mass index, or BMI. The aim is to identify overweight individuals and refer them to health centers or general practitioners, where they can receive support from nutritional advisers.
The ministry hopes its campaign, launched in mid-May, will reach 10 million citizens within two months and help raise awareness about the dangers of obesity while promoting a healthy lifestyle.
But the effort has drawn criticism for stigmatizing overweight individuals and overlooking the country’s broader economic struggles.
Healthy foods often expensive, inaccessible
Experts say the state has not issued adequate guidelines for healthy eating or restricted the marketing of unhealthy foods. This lack of regulation is putting children and low-income communities at particular risk.
“Political decision-makers are responsible for creating solutions,” said Sik.
Healthy and fresh foods are often more expensive and largely inaccessible to low-income households, leading to a nutritional imbalance. This contributes to obesity, growth disorders and iron deficiency in children.
Both Sik and Foggo support a nationwide free school meal program. Foggo criticized the government for failing to act, despite repeated calls. “In the parliament’s protocols, you can see that the Health Ministry has recognized the problem and sees that school meals are the solution. But not a single step has been taken,” she said.
Turkey is also facing a shortage of professionals in the field. According to the health and social workers’ union Saglik Sen, the number of dietitians working in public hospitals has dropped by nearly 20% over the past five years.
This article was originally written in German.
