Urban Indonesians Consume More Sugar, Salt and Fat, Kemenkes Data Show

Obesity is more likely to occur in urban areas, the Health Ministry has said, pointing to a mix of urbanization, economic growth and technological change that is reshaping how people live and eat.

Siti Nadia Tarmizi, director for the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) at the ministry, said these shifts not only contribute to rising NCDs but also alter consumption patterns across the population.

Technology—especially food delivery services—has reduced physical activity, she added. People no longer need to walk to buy food or prepare meals themselves, making it harder to control intake of sugar, salt and fat.

“What happens in big cities—why obesity then occurs—is because of urbanization patterns, economic growth, and technological change. Then there is food processing that actually makes our lives easier. And of course there is the issue of mass media,” she said during a webinar held to mark the 66th National Nutrition Day in 2026, streamed via the Family Health Services Directorate’s YouTube channel on Wednesday (Feb. 5, 2026).

She said a similar trend has been seen in developed countries such as the United States, where consumption of fast food, ice cream and excessive sugar rose sharply and was followed by a surge in obesity cases.

“Back then, maybe if we wanted to find food—when we were in college—we had to walk to a warteg or a small food stall. Now we don’t need to; we just sit and in 10 to 15 minutes the food arrives. And the food that arrives, of course, sometimes we can’t be sure whether the sugar and salt levels are appropriate; sometimes it’s too salty. Because sugar and salt, we know, are substances where if we keep adding more, our bodies will quickly adapt,” she said.

Nadia went on to explain that the human body adapts to taste. Once someone becomes accustomed to salty or sweet foods, reducing salt or sugar can make meals taste bland, encouraging repeated overconsumption without realizing it.

Citing surveys on Indonesian dietary habits, the ministry recorded that sugar, salt and fat intake in urban areas is far higher than in rural areas—nearly double in some cases. About 35 percent of urban residents were found to consume sugar, salt and fat above the recommended limits.

“Urban areas do tend to be higher in sugar consumption, then for salt consumption, and fat consumption—it almost reaches twice that of rural areas,” she added.

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