When I moved to Shanghai three years ago (to Huashan Lu) I bought my vegetables and fruit in front of the house from people selling out of baskets. It was great.

But after my Swiss holiday the whole district was gone and with it my food. Now it took six minutes to get to the nearest wet market or the nearby supermarket's nonappealing and not-so-fresh vegetable department. When I moved to Gao'an Lu, there were no fresh nice veggies or fruit nearby, I needed a bike to find decent fresh food. The only nearby fruit seller applied Swiss price tags to disguise spotted fruit so I avoided him.

I moved again to Kangping Lu, a calm and beautiful residential street without any shops at all. Not long afterwards a junk food outlet opened. Local school children 'attacked' the shop, emptying it before and after school.

Walking through the neighbourhood I discovered 10 junk food outlets none of which sold ONE single natural product. Every disappearing little fruit shop is replaced by a junk food stop.

Some days it is just impossible to find a banana or an apple in my immediate neighbourhood, let alone a real nice fresh salad or whole grain bread.

Lately I have read and heard about Chinese children (and adults) suffering from obesity and anaemia problems. The answer starts in junk food shops multiplying on every street corner where the sugar, salt and grease are mixed into colourful snacks.

Fast money comes from junk food, because children get rapidly addicted. But who can reproach them for that if there is not ONE single natural offer nearby. Kids are kids, while junk food is tasty and fashionable.

In the West, cigarette and alcohol victims' families have taken legal action against the brands. One cigarette or one glass of wine does not kill, nor does one junk food meal. But please, for the sake of the children, teach them about health. The chance of becoming an overweight adult starts in the cradle. Put a fruit stand in front of schools full of nice fresh Chinese produce. When I went to school in Switzerland a small annual payment bought us one apple or one glass of milk a day.

I would never have thought that I would miss fresh food in one of the world's big producers such as China. Time passes quickly and China's new business generation needs local vendors of healthy fresh food. Wet markets from the last generation are threatening to disappear.

"Better City, Better life": What a great slogan! After the trees, parks and gardens Shanghai should set up beautiful and colourful fresh food markets, serving as tourist attractions for the whole world. Imagine the never-ending colour and flavour festival of nicely arranged fresh Chinese fruit and vegetables in some dry outdoor place in Shanghai City. The Shanghai Daily has publicized the upcoming opening of a huge fruit market in Pudong, hopefully not too far on the outskirts! During the winter natural vitamins are indispensable and should be within easy reach for everybody. After all, you are what you eat.

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