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The data produced by WHO relating to year 2012, reveal that around 56 million people died from preventable diseases. 60% of these deaths have occurred by non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cancers, diabetes and chronic lung ailments. Communicable diseases and food deficiencies are responsible for about 23% of deaths. 38 million have died from non-communicable diseases and 28 million out of them were from developing countries.
The principal factor attributable for deaths in developing countries is the AIDS virus. There had been 33.4 million AIDS affected people in the world by year 2008. Around two million patients have died from the disease in the same year. Tuberculosis and other respiratory ailments cause deaths for two million people per year. The health situation of women and children is observed to be worse. There were 6.6 million child deaths in year 2012 and half of them died within 28 days of their birth. The key reasons for death were reported as low birth weight, poor growth, pneumonia, diarrhoea and malaria.
These statistics demonstrate only a portion of the overall issue. A considerable amount of statistics pertaining to poor countries on ailments and deaths go unrecorded and therefore do not reflect the total picture from the above data.
Accessibility of safe food for everybody
The focus of this year’s World Health Day is ‘Food Security for Health’. The underlying element of this theme is to ensure the accessibility of safe food for everybody in the world. The food produced on the earth belongs equally to all people. Yet, the food resources are not evenly distributed among all nations. Wealthy nations have the lion’s share which is several times bigger than the quantity they require. Developing nations’ share is relatively small. This conspicuous gap in food consumption between wealthy and poor nations results in over nutrition and obesity in rich countries. Poor countries suffer from malnutrition and starvation. Benjamin Franklin said, “I saw few die of hunger; of eating, a hundred thousand.”
There are several contributory factors for food problems in the world. Contamination of food from viruses, bacteria, agro chemicals and other toxic materials is a prominent problem faced by the world. These poisonous materials got mixed with food in the processes of production, processing, packaging, transporting and storage. Consumption of contaminated food is injurious to health and leads to many ailments in the human body. There are 250 food borne diseases that have been identified. The production of food is monopolised by the private sector. Some producers, processors and traders engaged in the food industry deliberately adulterate food seeking profit.
Pollution of food takes place mostly in developing countries. Scarcity of food for communities is another grave issue. Some poor countries do not produce adequate quantities of food for their population due to lack of resources. In certain instances, food is adequately available but poor communities cannot afford food owing to poverty.
According to statistics produced by the Food and Agricultural Organisation, more than 1,000 million people in the world go to bed hungry. 791 million out of this number are from developing countries. Around 805 million people suffer from chronic malnutrition. 161 million children below five years are stunted and 1/3 of them are from Africa. Another 51 million children are malnourished. Pregnant mothers in these regions suffer from anaemia and iron deficiency. A considerable number of mothers die during pregnancy or child birth. The majority of the children they deliver are underweight. The food borne diseases are most common in developing countries. Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia in Africa and some countries in Latin America and Asia are ideal examples.
Diseases caused by food have been increasing in Sri Lanka
As far as Sri Lanka is concerned, our health indicators are in par with those of developed countries. Chronic malnutrition, malnutrition, child mortality and maternal mortality rates remain much below the levels of other developing countries. However, it is observed that over the last few decades the diseases caused by food have been increasing in Sri Lanka as well. The Statistics disclosed by WHO identified 10 major causes for 
deaths occurred in 2014 in Sri Lanka. The first four places are occupied by heart diseases, diabetes, respiratory ailments and various kinds of cancers. 75% of the total deaths occurred by non-communicable diseases. Health authorities are of the view that most deaths are attributable to dietary factors.
Ancient people in Sri Lanka produced their food requirements by themselves. Rice, the staple food from the paddy field and subsidiary food crops like cereals, yams and tubers, vegetables, fruits and certain plants producing herbal drinks were grown in the homestead. The food produced using indigenous fertiliser and pesticides were not injurious to human health. These local food commodities had nutrients and the taste to the extent needed by human body.
Apart from hunger and ageing no other diseases were heard during our olden days. They had hard work exerting labour in the farm and the household, consumed healthy food and led healthy lives as strong individuals. The giant irrigation schemes, cultural and art work in ancient Sri Lanka bear testimony for the physical and mental health of our ancestors.
The health enjoyed by ancient Sri Lankans has gradually deteriorated with the passage of time. Some of our children suffer from diseases since inception. Diabetes, cancers and respiratory diseases are abundant among small children. Elderly people suffer more than one ailment. Both public and private hospitals are excessively over crowded with patients. Sri Lankan food commodities, food patterns and habits were replaced by alien food patterns and habits introduced by western domination.
Developing countries started increased utilisation of chemical fertiliser, artificial pesticides and weedicides introduced under the green revolution with the aim of increasing food yield. Sri Lanka was no exception. There is a remarkable increase in food production as a result of utilising modern agricultural inputs. Ultimate irony was creation and spread of various diseases attributable to consumption of food with toxic substance contained in these inputs. The diseases were not limited to different types of cancers, ailments in blood circulation system, respiratory diseases, diabetes and diarrhoea but many other unknown ailments.
The Government has been providing subsidised fertiliser for agriculture over a period of several years. Unfortunately these chemical fertilisers are substandard and of poor quality.
Excessive use of pesticides
Accumulation of colossal amounts of fertiliser over the years has destroyed and polluted our soil and ground water. The water in many regions in the country has become polluted due to excessive use of pesticides, weedicides and insecticides. Rapid spread of Chronic Kidney Disease caused 
by poisoning the ground water is the greatest tragedy that Sri Lanka has come across after the war. It is amazing that the financial resources set apart for fertiliser subsidy is not utilised for the production of liquid organic fertiliser and other types of organic manure locally.
Several companies have willingly informed the Government that if necessary resources are provided they have the capacity to produce the required quantities of organic manure to the entire country. Ignoring such valuable ideas self-centred politicians and bureaucrats constantly import chemical fertiliser to be distributed among farmers. Continuous importation and usage of subsidised chemical fertiliser are a digging the tomb of the nation.
In the past, we used to cook our food at home. Nutritious and balanced diet we prepared at home was replaced by food purchased from various restaurants and eating places. Since both husband and wife are employed and have a busy daily schedule, they have got accustomed to purchasing food from outside. The nutritional status and cleanliness of such food cannot be guaranteed. Sometimes this food may be tasty but lack nutrients. This habit is common among urban dwellers.
We used to have three main meals breakfast, lunch and dinner. We were well aware of the composition, quantity and nutritional status that should have by each meal, but we have deviated from such practices largely. Most present day children attend school without breakfast. Many children enjoy eating some food bought from a restaurant as breakfast. Even though parents are able to prepare some nutritious food at home, they ignore it for convenience. This leads children to become susceptible to different ailments. Other consequences are reducing the efficiency, memory power and thinking ability of children.
Food habits are also important for maintaining human health. If our meals are to be properly digested, we should fully concentrate on our eating process. It is not ethical to enjoy meals watching television or engaging in conversations. In Buddhist teachings, there are many procedures laid down in the Vinaya Pitaka. Quantity of food to be consumed at a meal, sharing meals with others, contemplating on food and maintaining silence at meals, sanitary habits to be followed before and after meals, and not to waste food are some of the important ethics. These rules which had been enforced for Bhikkus are equally applicable to lay persons too. Wrong food habits cause poor health and increase of diseases like diabetes, gastritis and high blood pressure. There is a Russian saying ‘Have breakfast alone, share the lunch with a friend and offer the dinner to an enemy’ which means to have a full and rich diet for breakfast, moderate meal for lunch and a light diet for dinner. Lord Buddha in the BC era has preached that taking too much food leads to physical ailments. Since early childhood children should be acquainted with good food habits.
Healthy diets alone would not suffice
For the healthy survival of life, healthy diets alone would not suffice. We have to maintain the health of the mind. Many do not know that an ailing mind causes physical ailments and even death. The bodily diseases are prominent and visible, but mental ailments cannot be seen. Lord Buddha categorically mentioned that the ailing mind has a direct impact over body ailments. It has been medically proved that mental stress creates blood pressure, diabetes and heart diseases. People need to have food for the mind, cultivating purified thoughts as well. Health, according to WHO, is a state of complete physical and mental wellbeing and not merely the absence of diseases or infirmity.
A few days ago we emphasised the role of water on the human health. Similarly food occupies a prominent place in maintaining the human body and its health. Lord Buddha stated ‘Sabbe satta aharathitika’ – all living beings depend on food. The biggest disease in the world is hunger. (Digacca parama roga – Dhamma Pada). Anybody who knows the pain of hunger does not consume his meal without offering a pellet even to an animal. The Buddha said food is a fundamental need of living beings. Ensuring healthy food for all living beings on this planet is a human right.
The problem of the world is the unequal distribution of food among nations. In order to maintain stability of prices for food, wealthy nations destroy food in volumes. A large number of people go to sleep in hunger every day. Mahathma Gandhi once said, “Our problem is not producing sufficient food, the world population needs; it is the accumulation of food for every one’s greed.”
Combat adulteration of food commodities
Today, there is a felt need to produce uncontaminated food. Laws and regulations should be properly implemented to combat adulteration of food commodities by traders. Selling of expired food, using poisonous preservative for storing, mixing food with low quality substitutes and misleading the consumer with promotional advertisements have largely contributed for ill health. Farmer, producer, processor, packager, transporter and trader, all stakeholders who engage in the food chain have a national responsibility to produce healthy and nutritious food for the nation. It is important to introduce policy directives encouraging farmers to utilise organic fertiliser and locally produced agricultural inputs to save the people from this tragedy.
The trend towards processed food and instant food among people should be diverted to food prepared in their own kitchens. Health educational programs on cooking food properly, cleanliness in the kitchen, storing raw food and cooked food, preparation of a balanced diet at a low cost etc. need to be streamlined with particular focus on risky communities. Assurance of income generating opportunities for vulnerable communities would help easing their economic difficulties and minimising hunger.
Provision of health care facilities in poverty stricken villages in poor countries is another step to prevent and cure diseases and avoiding untimed deaths. The wealthy nations and international organisations should be more sensitive and get together for a concerted and combined effort to minimise the gravity of this human tragedy.
(The writer, a Colombo District Member of Parliament, can be reached via email [email protected].)
