By Yin Nwe Ko

MYANMAR is facing a dire public health crisis, with one of the shortest life expectancies among the ten ASEAN nations. This alarming situation stems from a combi­nation of unsafe food practices, unhealthy dietary and lifestyle habits, weak regulatory oversight, and socioeconomic challenges like poverty and lack of awareness. The consequences are devastat­ing, with a surge in chronic dis­eases, cancers, and autoimmune disorders, all of which are cutting lives short.

Some neighbouring countries exploit Myanmar as a dumping ground for substandard goods, flooding the market with danger­ous products while lax regula­tions fail to protect consumers. To address this crisis, individual, community, and national-level changes are urgently needed, starting with safer food choices and healthier lifestyles.

One of the most pressing issues is the widespread adul­teration of food products. Many imported goods, such as biscuits, arrive in Myanmar close to their expiration dates. Rather than be­ing discarded, these products are repackaged with new labels and falsified date codes, deceiving con­sumers about their freshness and safety. This practice, common in the printing and packaging indus­try, prioritizes profit over public health, exposing people to poten­tially harmful substances.

Similarly, seafood like salm­on, shishamo, freshwater prawns, and mackerel enter the country through informal border channels, primarily from Thailand’s under­ground trade routes. These goods bypass any meaningful inspection by Myanmar’s Food and Drug Ad­ministration (FDA), slipping into markets unchecked. For example, the Central Model Fish Market re­ceives daily shipments from Thai­land, with no regulatory barriers to ensure safety or quality.

The problem extends beyond expired goods to outright coun­terfeit and substandard products. Fake foods, beverages, and medi­cines are rampant, often produced in neighbouring countries where stricter regulations prevent their sale domestically. In Myanmar, however, these items find a ready market. Artificial sweeteners, costing as little as K200 for a hand­ful, are widely used in cooking, contributing to a rise in diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. These sweeteners, along with oth­er chemical additives, are so per­vasive that they’ve altered taste preferences, making it difficult for people to enjoy food without their intense sweetness. Reports of synthetic meat, eggs, and even plastic-like substances in products highlight the extent of this crisis. One shocking incident involved goat jerky that, when microwaved, melted into a plastic-like material, revealing the dangerous lengths to which some producers go to cut costs.

Agricultural practices further exacerbate the problem. Fruits and vegetables are treated with chemicals to accelerate growth, flowering, and ripening, allow­ing vendors to meet market de­mands for quick turnaround. For instance, tomatoes are often pur­chased green at wholesale mar­kets and chemically ripened just before sale, ensuring they appear fresh. These substances, large­ly unregulated, pose significant health risks when consumed over time. Similarly, nearly all cooking oils available in Myanmar’s mar­kets — estimated at 99 per cent — consist of palm oil or reprocessed, low-quality oils imported from Chi­na. These oils, often recycled or chemically altered, are linked to cardiovascular issues and other chronic conditions. The lack of access to fresh, unadulterated oils forces many households to rely on these harmful alternatives, further endangering public health.

The FDA’s inability to regu­late effectively compounds these issues. At border checkpoints, inspections are minimal due to outdated equipment and limited expertise in detecting modern chemical additives. Even when harmful substances are identified, enforcement is weak, and viola­tors face little consequence. The FDA frequently issues warnings about toxins in well-known food and beverage brands, yet these products remain widely availa­ble. The agency’s struggles reflect broader systemic issues, including underfunding and a lack of polit­ical will to prioritize food safety. As a result, Myanmar remains vulnerable to a flood of dangerous goods, with little protection for consumers.

Lifestyle habits in Myanmar also play a significant role in the health crisis. Approximately 70 per cent of men consume alco­hol, often opting for cheap liq­uor costing just K400 per bottle. Paired with inexpensive snacks like roasted peanuts (K100), these habits lead to rapid intoxication and long-term health damage. Similarly, betel quid use is wide­spread, with a comparable per­centage of the population chewing it daily. The quid, often laced with harmful chemicals imported from India at a cost of millions of USD monthly, is a major driver of oral and throat cancers. The economic scale of this habit is staggering, with daily expenditure on betel quid reportedly reaching millions of Kyats. Tobacco use, including locally produced cheroots, further contributes to lung and heart dis­eases, creating a toxic trifecta of alcohol, betel quid, and smoking that ravages public health.

Dietary patterns in Myanmar are equally concerning. The staple diet, heavily reliant on rice, is high in carbohydrates, leading to obesi­ty and related conditions like dia­betes. Excessive consumption of salt, spices, and oil — common in traditional dishes — exacerbates hypertension and cardiovascular issues. In contrast, countries with longer life expectancies, such as Japan or Mediterranean nations, follow balanced dietary patterns. They begin meals with liquids like juices or soups, followed by light foods, and conclude with lean proteins, vegetables, and minimal oil or salt. For example, India’s diet emphasizes grains, legumes, vegetables, and dairy, fostering physical development and resil­ience from childhood. Myanmar’s habits, such as eating late, rice-heavy dinners after 5 pm, disrupt digestion and contribute to health problems. Cultural missteps, like brushing teeth before meals or bathing before brushing, also lead to dental issues, which can trigger systemic infections over time.

The health consequences of these practices are dire. My­anmar is witnessing a surge in non-communicable diseases, in­cluding diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and kidney failure, driven by artificial sweeteners, alcohol, and chemical-laden foods. Cancer rates are soaring, with rare and aggressive types becom­ing more common. Cases include melanoma in teenagers, anaplas­tic non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in the knee, pancreatic cancer, and advanced liver and lung cancers, often diagnosed at stage 4. Au­toimmune disorders are also on the rise, affecting multiple body systems and linked to dietary toxins and poor gut health. Even Burmese communities abroad are not immune, as many continue to consume imported Myanmar foods like fried fish paste, dried fish, pickled tea leaves, and fer­mented dishes, which carry the same risks.

Socioeconomic and systemic factors underpin this crisis. Pov­erty drives reliance on cheap, harmful products, while ignorance about food safety and health per­petuates risky behaviours. Greed fuels the production and sale of counterfeit goods, with unscrupu­lous businesses exploiting Myan­mar’s lax regulations. Neighbour­ing countries like Thailand, India, and China treat Myanmar as a dumping ground for substand­ard goods banned in their own markets, capitalizing on its weak enforcement. The government’s failure to prioritize food safety, coupled with inadequate FDA resources, leaves the population vulnerable. Cultural attachment to traditional foods and habits, combined with a lack of aware­ness about healthier alternatives, further entrenches the problem.

To reverse this crisis, change must begin at the individual and family level. People should grow their own fruits and vegetables to ensure they are free of harmful chemicals. When buying produce, they should seek out local farmers selling naturally grown, pest-dam­aged goods or pick fresh fruits directly from trees. Fresh meat and fish should replace processed or preserved items, and sugary drinks, artificial sweeteners, ex­cessive salt, spices, and oil should be avoided.

Households can opt for fresh­ly pressed oils from trusted sourc­es, such as local mills, or reduce oil use altogether. Healthier habits include drinking water or fresh juice in the morning to support gut health, eating rice-free dinners before 5 pm, brushing teeth after meals to prevent dental decay, and exercising regularly through brisk walking or climbing. Alcohol, to­bacco, betel quid, and drugs must be eliminated entirely to reduce disease risk.

At the community and nation­al level, broader action is essen­tial. Raising awareness through schools, media, and local leaders can educate people about food safety and healthy lifestyles. The government must invest in modern FDA equipment, train staff, and enforce strict border inspections to block harmful goods. Promoting organic farm­ing and incentivizing natural produce can shift reliance away from chemically treated products. Culturally, Myanmar must adopt dietary habits closer to those of longer-living nations, emphasiz­ing vegetables, lean proteins, and minimal processed foods. Public health campaigns can encourage earlier bedtimes, regular exercise, and proper meal timing to align with global best practices.

The health crisis in Myanmar, rooted in unsafe food practices, harmful lifestyle choices, and systemic failures, demands ur­gent action. The alarming rise in chronic diseases, cancers, and au­toimmune disorders underscores the need for change. By starting with individual and family-level actions — such as growing safe food, choosing natural products, and adopting healthier habits — Myanmar can begin to reverse this trend. Scaling these efforts to communities and the national level through education, stricter regulations, and cultural shifts is critical for building a healthier, longer-living population. Health is wealth, and it begins with in­formed choices, vigilance, and collective effort to protect the nation’s future.