Globesity: Fat's New Frontier
Movie · Documentary · Special Interest

The world is getting very fat, very fast. The obesity epidemic has spread to the Third World and it is likely 1 billion people will be obese by 2030. So how did it explode in places that, not so long ago, counted malnutrition and even famine as major concerns? Well it's mostly about the aggressive marketing and low prices of Western fast food. As globalisation and a little more money open up Third World markets, the first to step in are the likes of McDonalds and Coke. In this global production, we travel to China where the consumption of sugar and oil has sent the national scales spinning; to Brazil where global food companies have fundamentally altered traditional diets; to India where it's predicted 100 million people will soon be suffering diabetes and on to Mexico, where the weight problem is so pressing, stomach reduction surgery is offered for free. The diagnosis is stark: "No country has managed the transition to get rid of hunger without it shifting to obesity" says anti-obesity crusader Barry Popkin. In a world where we are bombarded with messages to eat more hundreds of times a day, it's clear that obesity is a ticking time bomb.

2012 · 58m
Starring Stephen McDonell
Director Vivien Altman

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Cast & Crew

  • S‌M
    Stephen McDonell
    Narrator
  • V‌A
    Vivien Altman
    Director
  • V‌A
    Vivien Altman
    Producer
  • M‌L
    Marianne Leitch
    Producer

About

Globesity: Fat's New Frontier

Documentary

The world is getting very fat, very fast. The obesity epidemic has spread to the Third World and it is likely 1 billion people will be obese by 2030. So how did it explode in places that, not so long ago, counted malnutrition and even famine as major concerns? Well it's mostly about the aggressive marketing and low prices of Western fast food. As globalisation and a little more money open up Third World markets, the first to step in are the likes of McDonalds and Coke. In this global production, we travel to China where the consumption of sugar and oil has sent the national scales spinning; to Brazil where global food companies have fundamentally altered traditional diets; to India where it's predicted 100 million people will soon be suffering diabetes and on to Mexico, where the weight problem is so pressing, stomach reduction surgery is offered for free. The diagnosis is stark: "No country has managed the transition to get rid of hunger without it shifting to obesity" says anti-obesity crusader Barry Popkin. In a world where we are bombarded with messages to eat more hundreds of times a day, it's clear that obesity is a ticking time bomb.

Information

Studio
Journeyman Pictures
Released
2012
Run Time
58 min
Rated
R13 Contains some violent content.
Region of Origin
Mexico
© 2012 ABC Australia

Languages

Original Audio
English
Audio

English (AAC)

Subtitles

English (CC)

Accessibility

Closed captions refer to subtitles in available languages with the addition of relevant non-dialogue information.
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Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

  • Armenia
  • Azerbaijan
  • Bahrain
  • Botswana
  • Brunei Darussalam
  • Cape Verde
  • Egypt
  • Eswatini
  • Gambia
  • Ghana
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • India
  • Israel
  • Jordan
  • Lebanon
  • Mauritius
  • Mozambique
  • Namibia
  • Niger (English)
  • Oman
  • Qatar
  • Saudi Arabia
  • South Africa
  • Sri Lanka
  • Tajikistan
  • Turkmenistan
  • Uganda
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Zimbabwe

Asia Pacific

  • Australia
  • Cambodia
  • Fiji
  • 香港 (廣東話–繁體)
  • Indonesia (English)
  • 日本
  • Lao People's Democratic Republic
  • 澳門 (廣東話–繁體)
  • Malaysia (English)
  • Micronesia, Federated States of
  • Mongolia
  • New Zealand
  • Philippines
  • Singapore
  • 대한민국
  • 台灣
  • Thailand
  • Turkmenistan
  • Vietnam

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  • Bermuda
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  • Colombia (Español)
  • Costa Rica (Español)
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