Junk Food Invasion in Fiji

This piece was originally published as a blog post by UNICEF.

When 22‑year‑old Losalini Batiwale thinks back to her childhood in the Yasawa Islands, she remembers mornings filled with the smell of ripe mangoes, fresh coconuts, and the earthy scent of rourou (taro leaves in coconut milk) cooking in her grandmother’s pot. Food was not just something to eat - but culture, identity, and a way of life.

“Back then, food tasted like home,” she said. “Everything on our plates came from our land, from our own hands.”

Today, the story is different.

On a recent trip back to the Yasawa Islands, Losalini saw something that stopped her in her tracks.

“When the boat approached the shore, I saw children running to say ‘Bula!’ but then, right above the village shop, I saw a huge Coca‑Cola billboard,” she said. “I could not believe it.”

What was once a landscape of coconut trees, gardens, and unspoiled shores is now home to advertisements for fizzy drinks and brightly coloured snacks.

“It is not the fault of families,” she explains. “Unhealthy food marketing is reaching every part of our islands now, even places where it never existed before.” 

Her own journey reflects this shift. As a child, she loved traditional foods including fresh coconut water, cassava, and rourou.

“But then I still remember the first time I tasted cheese rings,” Losalini laughs. “My fingers turned bright orange. The taste was so strong… and I wanted more. That is how it started for a lot of us.”

Ultra‑processed foods like colourful packets of cheese rings, fizzy drinks and sugary snacks have crept silently into daily life. They are replacing the traditional fruits and vegetables that once nourished families for generations.

What feels like a harmless snack has led to a national crisis. Fiji now faces one of the highest rates of non‑communicable diseases in the Pacific. These are diseases closely linked to high sugar, salt and fat intake. More than 80 per cent of deaths in Fiji are now caused by these non-communicable diseases. Many families struggle to afford nutritious food, relying instead on cheaper, heavily processed alternatives.

For young people like Losalini, the shift in diet is not only affecting their bodies but changing their identity.

“Our traditional food is who we are,” she said. “Losing it means losing part of ourselves.”

Losalini’s wake‑up call came when a loved one fell seriously ill with cancer. “That changed everything for me. I realised how powerful food can be - it can heal or it can harm.”

She began learning more about nutrition and soon joined the Fix My Food* campaign - a movement supported by UNICEF that empowers young people to advocate for healthier food environments.

UNICEF is working with young people, communities, and government partners to push for clearer food labelling, healthier school food environments and stronger regulations on junk‑food marketing targeted at children.

Today, Losalini works with other young advocates to promote healthier choices in schools, homes, and online spaces. She speaks during community dialogues, helps run awareness campaigns, and encourages children to return to traditional Fijian foods.

“We want children to grow up knowing the real taste of food,” she said. “Not just the manufactured flavours that come in shiny packets.”

The challenge is real with rising food prices, aggressive marketing of unhealthy foods, and limited access to fresh produce making nutritious eating difficult for many families. But young advocates like Losalini remain hopeful.

“When we speak up, people listen,” she says with a smile. “If we work together, children, parents, and communities, we can protect our health and our culture. We can bring back the taste of real food.”

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Notes 

* The Fix My Food, supported by UNICEF, is a youth-led advocacy initiative aimed at giving young people a platform to create a stronger voice for healthier food environment for every child. It also aims to advocate with governments and decision makers to implement actions that ensure every child’s right to healthy food that are:

Available: Accessible in shops and stores close to where people live.

Affordable: Priced so that everyone can afford it.

Appealing: Presented in an attractive and engaging manner.

Aspirational: Promoted in ways that encourage children and families to choose healthier options.

In the Pacific region, the initiative has started with engaging young people and key influencers to define solutions to unhealthy food environments. This aims to facilitate a shift in the narrative from focusing on individual dietary choices to addressing systemic food environment challenges.

For more information, please contact

Zubnah Khan | UNICEF Pacific | + 679 9988 137| zukhan@unicef.org