Rise with SHAPE Asia: Mobilising Action for Healthier Food Marketing and Youth Engagement


SHAPE Asia convened policymakers, researchers, civil society leaders, and youth advocates on 16 January 2026 in Colombo to advance regional dialogue on healthier food environments, marking the official launch of the Rise with SHAPE Asia campaign. The campaign responds to a growing and urgent challenge. In 2024, an estimated 31.9% of the global population could not afford a healthy diet, including 28.1% in Asia and a concerning 42.9% in Sri Lanka. At the same time, unhealthy food environments, driven by aggressive marketing and the widespread availability of unhealthy products, are contributing to rising rates of obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases across the region.

Why Food Marketing Matters
Across Asia, food environments are increasingly shaped by sophisticated and pervasive marketing strategies, including digital advertising, influencer content, price promotions, sponsorships, and in-store placements. These practices extend beyond simple promotion. They actively shape preferences, influence purchasing behavior, and normalize the consumption of foods high in sugar, salt, and fat.

Children and young people are particularly vulnerable. Their exposure to targeted marketing strategies makes them more likely to adopt unhealthy dietary patterns early in life. This raises a critical policy concern. Improving diets cannot rely solely on individual responsibility when food choices are structured by powerful commercial and environmental influences. Addressing unhealthy food marketing is therefore central to creating healthier and more equitable food systems.

From Dialogue to Action

The launch event was hosted by the Institute of Policy Studies in partnership with SHAPE Asia, with support from the International Development Research Centre. It brought together diverse stakeholders from across the region to exchange lessons and explore pathways for policy action.

Nisha Arunatilake highlighted that the rising burden of non-communicable diseases is closely linked to unhealthy food environments, reinforcing the urgency of stronger policy responses. At the same time, Elaine Borazon emphasized the need to address how food is “promoted, positioned, and normalised,” underscoring that policy must engage with the broader systems influencing consumption.

Discussions revealed a shared regional challenge. While evidence on unhealthy food environments is expanding, translating that evidence into effective, enforceable, and context-sensitive policies remains complex. Strengthening coordination across sectors and aligning existing policy efforts emerged as critical priorities.

Mobilising Youth and Regional Action

A defining feature of the Rise with SHAPE Asia campaign is its strong focus on youth engagement. Recognizing that young people are both key targets of food marketing and powerful agents of change, the campaign seeks to actively involve them in shaping healthier food environments.

Through initiatives such as the Youth Content Challenge, the campaign encourages young people and content creators to produce engaging, evidence-informed content that raises awareness and challenges prevailing narratives around food marketing. This approach reflects a shift from viewing youth as passive audiences to positioning them as active contributors to advocacy and policy discourse.

At the regional level, the campaign also aims to strengthen collaboration, build coalitions, and create momentum for more coordinated policy action across countries. The launch of Rise with SHAPE Asia marks an important step in advancing healthier food environments across Asia. By linking evidence, advocacy, and youth-driven engagement, the campaign seeks to increase public awareness, support policy development, and promote responsible food marketing practices.

As highlighted during the discussions in Colombo, transforming food environments requires more than isolated interventions. It demands sustained collaboration across sectors, informed by evidence and supported by collective commitment. Strengthening these foundations will be critical to addressing unhealthy food marketing and improving population health across the region.