As the
temperature in Phnom Penh crested 39 degrees celcius on Tuesday, a young
British couple stepped into the air-conditioned embrace of Burger King.
“Brilliant,”
the man whispered.
He
entered a scene that would be familiar in cities from Bristol to Beijing: a
father feeding his son french fries, a couple silently eating a Whopper, a
uniformed attendant tucking errant chairs under a table.
Launh
Chhay, a 28-year-old businessman, said he had his first bite of Burger King
about a year ago to “try a new taste” and now comes to the outlet on Street 51
five or six times a month.
“It feels
good,” Mr. Chhay said. “I don’t think it’s very healthy, but I just drop by and
have a quick lunch so that I can do other things.”
As
increasing numbers of Cambodians like Mr. Chhay discover the quick, rich treats
of fast-food franchises springing up across the country, health experts warn
that waistlines and rates of related diseases are likely to keep pace.
After
establishing an early foothold in Phnom Penh’s foreigner-friendly Boeng Keng
Kang 1 commune, many franchises are expanding beyond the neighborhood.
Burger
King is adding three new locations to its existing nine, including in
Sihanoukville and Siem Reap City, according to Burger King Cambodia assistant
chairman Thon Serei. KFC is mulling new branches in the same two cities, as
well as in Battambang and Kompong Cham, said Benjamin Jerome, general manager
of local affiliate Kampuchea Food Corporation.
To reach
new customers in emerging economies, fast-food firms peddle prestige as much as
they do french fries, said Clifford Shultz II, a professor at Loyola University
Chicago’s Quinlan School of Business who has studied marketing in the region.
These
customers “typically are more attracted by the brand imagery and service
experience offered by the international fast food provider,” Mr. Shultz said in
an email. “Eating at a McDonald’s or Dairy Queen, for example, offers an
opportunity to experience a food or service ambiance in a foreign land without
actually going to that foreign land.”
This
novelty is still fresh in Cambodia, which offers franchises “easy access in a
high growth region with positive demographics,” said Douglas Clayton, CEO of
private equity firm Leopard Capital.
And while
fast-food chains “efficiently train workers” to international standards, Mr.
Clayton points out that they also import the developed world’s obesity and
diabetes epidemics, “having saturated their own populations.”
Data from
researchers and government sources bears out these fears.
Lifestyle
and dietary changes wrought by globalization lead people to exercise less and
eat more “energy-dense foods that are high in fat, sugar and salt,” according
to Dr. Khim Sam Ath, technical officer for noncommunicable diseases at the
World Health Organization (WHO).
In
Cambodia, the rates of noncommunicable diseases and the economy are growing in
lockstep.
Diabetes,
cancer, heart disease and respiratory illnesses caused 43 percent of deaths in
Cambodia in 2014—up from 35 percent in 2011 —and rates are projected to rise
further, according to data from the WHO and Ministry of Health. Diabetes, heart
disease and some forms of cancer have been linked to poor diet.
A study
published this month in the journal Nutrients shows that for the first time,
the number of overweight women in Cambodia is greater than that of underweight
women.
Local
representatives of Burger King and Krispy Kreme—which is set to open its first
outlet in Cambodia later this month—acknowledged that their products were not
healthy, but said it was up to customers to show restraint.
“Our
brand is about sharing treats with others,” said Martin Leclercq, business
development manager of Krispy Kreme. “We expect people to make choices in
accordance with their lifestyle.”
Mr.
Jerome of KFC said the franchise’s offerings were more fresh and hygienic than
most food available at local restaurants.
“We are
giving them one of the better options,” he said.
Although
fast food isn’t the sole cause of rising rates of diseases, the data is
particularly striking in a country where less than a third of children between
the ages of 6 and 23 months met WHO standards for a “minimum acceptable diet,”
according to research from Hellen Keller International (HKI).
Reversing
the situation should be prioritized because “over nutrition during childhood is
thought to be linked with the risk of nutrition-related non-communicable
diseases such as diabetes later on in life,” HKI country director Keith Porter
said in an email.
Sugary
diets are also partially to blame for a “frightening” dental situation, said
Dr. Bethy Turton of Phnom Penh’s Roomchang Dental Hospital, with Cambodian
children showing the most decayed teeth in the region.
Sweet and
processed foods “basically ruins the metabolism and from an oral health
perspective, those foods select for ‘bad bacteria’ to dominate at the surface
of the teeth,” she said in an email.
Some
argue that regulations could push consumers in the right direction when faced
with the choice between fast food and healthier alternatives.
Maurits
van Pelt, director of Phnom Penh’s MoPoTsyo Patient Information Center, pointed
to Thailand’s proposed sugar tax—which, according to the Bangkok Post, would
raise the cost of soft drinks by nearly 25 percent—as an example worth
replicating in Cambodia.
“It would
generate money, which could then be used to help people get treatment and
finance these costs, which no one wants to pay for,” Mr. Van Pelt said.
But taxes
might not be enough to keep Mr. Chhay away from his bacon cheeseburger with
fries.
“Sometimes,
I miss the place because I miss the taste,” he said with a guilty smile.
Ben
Paviour
No comments:
Post a Comment