Fix My Food!

Children and young people in Cambodia are growing up surrounded by unhealthy food choices. Fix My Food is a movement to change that by making healthy, safe, and nutritious food more available, affordable, and appealing for every child and young person. 

Why does this matter?

Cambodia and the East Asia and Pacific region are known for rich food cultures built in fresh, nutritious ingredients that have long supported family health and livelihoods. 

Sadly, today these traditional diets are increasingly being replaced by ultra-processed foods and drinks such as sugary beverages, packaged snacks, and instant meals—commonly referred to as ‘junk’ foods and drinks. At the same time, fresh food markets are disappearing, healthy, nutritious food is often unaffordable or unavailable, and children and young people are exposed to junk-food marketing everywhere they go: online, on their way to school, on television, and even in shops.

Climate change is making this challenge even harder. Extreme weather is disrupting agriculture and fisheries, limiting access to nutritious food and putting additional pressure on family diets.

The harmful impact on children and young people

Because unhealthy foods and drinks are high in sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats, but low in essential nutrients like vitamins and minerals, this changing food environment is having serious consequences on children’s health and well-being.

Cambodia is facing a triple burden of malnutrition. Undernutrition persists, with 22 per cent of children under 5 stunted and 10 per cent suffering from wasting. Less than half (42 per cent) of 6–23-month-old children receive a minimally acceptable diet, with many consuming sweet beverages and unhealthy foods.

At the same time, childhood overweight and obesity in East Asia and the Pacific are rising faster than in any other region of the world. In Cambodia, 4 per cent of children under 5 are overweight, with a higher prevalence in urban areas, while 33 per cent of women aged 20–49 and 6 per cent of girls aged 15–19 are either overweight or obese.

Micronutrient deficiencies also remain a major challenge, including deficiencies in essential vitamins such as iron, zinc, iodine, and vitamin D.

What is Fix My Food?

Fix My Food is a youth-powered movement supported by UNICEF that brings together young people, influencers, food entrepreneurs, partners, and communities to advocate for healthier food environments.

UNICEF wants to make sure that healthy, safe, and nutritious food is widely available, affordable, and appealing. In Cambodia, the Fix My Food initiative works to:

• Amplify youth voices calling for healthier food choices through youth trainings and national food system workshops, providing opportunities to share ideas for healthier food environments.
• Promote food environments that make nutritious options the easy choice through integrated life-skills sessions in secondary schools.
• Support national efforts to protect children from harmful food marketing.
• Promote local, traditional, and sustainable foods through online campaigns.

What needs to change

We’re calling for actions that:

• Protect youth from aggressive marketing of unhealthy foods through stronger regulations on digital and influencer marketing targeting children and adolescents.
• Make healthy food the easy, affordable choice by subsidizing fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins and ensure schools and canteens offer nutritious meals at fair prices.
• Preserve traditional and local food cultures by promoting heritage recipes and local farming systems that connect youth with their food roots.
• Include youth in food policy decisions by creating platforms and advisory groups where young people can shape and monitor food environment reforms.

Join the Fix My Food movement!

Together, we can raise our voices and increase access to healthy and affordable food. That’s why we invite you, your friends, and family to join the Fix My Food movement and be part of the solution for a healthier Cambodia. You can take action by:

• Becoming a digital advocate on healthy food habits by using social media to share positive messages about nutritious eating, challenge misleading food marketing, and highlight healthier alternatives.
• Being a champion for healthy foods in your school and community by encouraging friends and family to make healthier choices, supporting school initiatives that offer nutritious meals, and speaking up for better food options in schools, shops, and local markets.