| Abstract [eng] |
56 pages, 7 figures, 6 tables, 45 references. The main purpose of this master thesis is to explore ultra-processed foods consumption and its economic impact on labour productivity in high income countries. The Master thesis consists of three main parts; the analysis of literature, the research and its results, a conclusion and recommendations. Literature analysis reviews the related/relevant theories, examining empirical research concerning Ultra-processed foods and their relationship to labour productivity, also it’s analyzing the effect of UPFs consumption on labour productivity in high-income countries and investigating the effect of control variables on the relationship between ultra-processed foods consumption and labour productivity in high-income countries. The variables used for this research include sales of ultra-processed foods consumption, labour productivity, urbanization rate, and prevalence of undernourishment. Quantitative panel research design was adopted. The data utilized for this research which spans from 2017 to 2023 were collected from 16 high-income countries across four continents (America, Asia, Europe, and Australia). The study employed two-way linear fixed effect regression. The results revealed that UPF sales has a negative relationship with labour productivity in high income countries but the relationship is statistically not significant (β = −0.025, SE = 0.033, p > 0.05). Among the control variables, the prevalence of undernourishment is negatively associated with labour productivity (β = −0.018, SE = 0.010, p < 0.10). The urbanization/macroeconomic control enters with a positive coefficient but is not statistically significant at conventional levels (β = 0.009, SE = 0.010, p > 0.05). The study concluded that ultra-processed consumption has a negative insignificant economic impact on labour productivity in high income countries. The study recommended among other that government and organizations, particularly within high income countries should encourage consumption of nutrients-rich food alongside processed food options to improve workforce’s health and productivity. There is need for workplace nutritional campaign and programs to create public awareness on dangers associated with ultra-processed food and how it can be managed to minimize heavy reliance on ultra-processed consumption. |
