TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Two-thirds of Taiwanese children eat fast food or deep-fried food at least once weekly, while more than half consume sugary drinks weekly, a new Child Welfare League Foundation (CWLF, 兒童福利聯盟) survey reveals. The findings highlight growing concerns about childhood nutrition in Taiwan, where ubiquitous bubble tea shops, fried chicken stands, and convenience stores present a constant stream of dietary temptations. Health experts warn that unhealthy eating habits formed in childhood can persist into adulthood, increasing risks of chronic diseases.
The CWLF survey found that 16.3% of children eat fast food or deep-fried food at least three times weekly, while 16.2% consume sugary drinks with the same frequency. Roughly a quarter of children reported having no fixed mealtimes, and nearly a fifth of schoolchildren eat with their families fewer than two days per week. More than 10% of children skip breakfast due to time constraints, with many reporting only 30 minutes from waking up to leaving for school.
Research shows unhealthy diets can cause children to develop chronic diseases early in life, including obesity and diabetes, with obese children more likely to become obese adults. Studies indicate that consuming more fruits and vegetables in childhood helps protect against heart disease in adulthood. Research also shows that regularly eating together as a family leads to better nutrition in children and a lower risk of developing eating disorders.
Taiwan's adult obesity rate reached 24.8% in 2022, rising from 22.8% in 2016, according to health data. While these rates remain lower than in countries like the United States or Australia, they exceed obesity rates in other East Asian countries, including China and Japan. The rate of diabetes among Taiwanese under 40 years old has risen by a quarter since 2016, with a poor diet considered the main contributing factor.
Bubble tea shops, which can contain enormous amounts of sugar, now number over 16,000 across Taiwan, with the number of beverage shops growing by roughly 4% on average since 2020. Convenience stores, which sell ready-made meals and processed snacks, have grown 7% over the past three years, reaching one store for every 1,659 people in Taiwan. The CWLF recommends that parents hold regular mealtimes with their children and use less processed foods, while schools should provide better nutrition education.
Several Taiwanese government agencies are discussing plans to implement a traffic light food labeling system to help consumers choose meals with lower sodium and sugar content, according to media reports. This measure would follow changes made to the Commodity Tax Act (貨物稅條例) in 2025 that exempted sugar-free packaged beverages from commodity taxes. A survey found that 60% of the Taiwanese public supports implementing a sugar tax as a stronger measure to address unhealthy eating habits.
Whether a new food labeling system would make a difference remains to be seen, as fixing Taiwan's unhealthy food habits may require more than simply presenting choices. Changing the modern culture of food, including finding time to cook meals and eat them with family, presents a significant challenge for busy Taiwanese households. The survey findings underscore the need for comprehensive approaches combining policy changes, education, and cultural shifts to address childhood nutrition concerns. ◼