In the early stages of the foreign discovery of Samoa, our people did not suffer from obesity. There are a variety of reasons for that, but the one constant was imported food items. In this case, the lack thereof. The locals worked the farms, crops at the plantation or fishing. We were not big, until we discovered the outside world and its food. Corned beef, was one of the foods that navigators used as it could be stored and eaten at will. In war times, soldiers also utilized these food items. It was also a commodity for trade with island nations.

Another factor was the affordability of these imported food items. The economic impact was easy to deduce but insidious weight gain began to take its toll and the “Big is beautiful” trend emerged.

Our passion for imported food has increased annually and it is a serious threat to the health of our people. It is unnerving to think that all of this has taken place in the last 100 years. What will happen to us if this downhill trend continues? And what will happen if we pass these bad habits down to the next generation.