Food, power, and globalization in Samoa

Abstract

The effect of globalization on Samoa diet has been well documented as has the subsequent epidemic of obesity among Samoan. The Samoan diet began a transition in the 1830s with the introduction of more and more imported food items, culminating in a situation by the latter part of the 20th century that required the continued importation of food to meet the dietary needs of the population of the Samoa Islands. The dietary shift which accelerated in the second half of the 20th century was accompanied by a dramatic increase in obesity among Samoans, although the dietary transition appeared to play less of a role in the increase in obesity than did changes in activity patterns. I begin this paper by summarizing the previous literature on dietary globalization in Samoa. Next, I analyze several sets of previously collected but not yet analyzed data from work in American Samoa conducted between 1982 and 1992. In these analyses I look at associations between gardening behavior, family obligations, and diet in American Samoa. Finally, I consider more recent aspects of food and globalization in Samoa, such as the expansion of the McDonald's franchise and the nature of food security in Samoa and American Samoa.