New Zealand’s nutrition crisis: Experts warn decades-old data fuel rise in chronic diseases

Aotearoa, New Zealand, is facing a critical data gap about its population’s eating habits and nutritional status. Nutrition Insight speaks to a researcher to discuss the Public Health Communication Center’s (PHCC) call for an update as it claims New Zealand has not carried out a national nutrition survey on adults since 2008/09 and children since 2002. 

The independent organization says the lack of information leaves policymakers, public health experts, and the food industry in the dark. It also affects efforts addressing diet-related diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. 

“The types of food available and the way people eat are very different [from the past], but we just don’t know how this has impacted what New Zealanders are eating and how that varies between different population groups. This is why we need a new nutrition survey,” Dr. Cristina Cleghorn, senior research fellow at the Department of Public Health, University of Otago, tells us.

The last survey provided valuable insights into food and nutrient intakes, household food security, and the prevalence of diet-related illnesses. For instance, plant-based diets, ready-made meals, energy drinks, and cooking techs like air fryers and dietary trends have all impacted the New Zealand diet, explains PHCC.

It also underlines that Indigenous Māori and Pasifika communities are disproportionately affected by poor nutrition-causing diseases and are especially at risk from the data void. 

Māori and Pasifika communities are disproportionately affected by poor nutrition-causing diseases and are especially at risk from the data void.According to recent research, Māori people suffer from a significant burden of diseases linked to nutrition, particularly type 2 diabetes and obesity. Dietary changes that promote weight loss are essential for managing and preventing obesity and diabetes, but the majority of these strategies have not been specifically developed or assessed for Māori.

Balancing short- and long-term costs 

PHCC says the costs of national nutrition surveys equate to about NZ$3 (US$1.72) per citizen, and type 2 diabetes costs will rise to NZ$3.5 billion (US$2.05 billion) in the next 20 years.

“There was an appetite for a new survey in 2021, and the Ministry of Health and Ministry for Primary Industries funded a NZ$1 million [US$ 575,096) project to develop the necessary tools,” says Cleghorn, also a member of the Food Policy Expert Group at Health Coalition Aotearoa.

“But the main barrier is the cost of a new survey, which is estimated to be ~NZ$15 million (~US$8.62 million). It is important to keep in mind, however, that compared to managing type 2 diabetes at NZ$2 billion (US$1.15 billion) per year, the cost is actually very small.”

Because “not enough resources are channeled into the prevention of chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer,” Cleghorn thinks the government would not fund the nutrition survey even though it would be less expensive than treating diet-related illnesses.

Cristina Cleghorn.“The benefits of preventing these diseases, including reducing the amount we spend on treating disease, are long-term benefits, and politicians tend to focus on the shorter term.”

Plant-based diets, ready-made meals, energy drinks, and cooking techs like air fryers and dietary trends have all impacted the New Zealand diet.

She adds that industry players can help start a new survey by highlighting the importance of having up-to-date nutrition data. However, they “shouldn’t be involved in the design or implementation of the survey.”

NZ Health Survey 

Although the Annual NZ Health Surveys capture some updates on eating habits, the PHCC believes it is not enough. 

“The food data collected by the Health Survey is very limited, for example, just fruit and vegetable intake. To understand both the overall healthiness of dietary intake in New Zealand as well as the nutrient intake in the population, a dietary assessment method that estimates daily or usual intake is needed,” says Cleghorn.

“Like the health survey, the nutrition survey needs to be large enough and representative of the population so we can understand differences between population groups and who is most at risk of both deficiency and chronic disease. Then the appropriate resources can be allocated to reduce these risks.”