Much of this attention may originate in Western markets, where works such as Morgan Spurlock's Supersize Me and Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation, have memorably skewered the fastfood sector in particular over its responsibility for obesity. However, as the bird flu outbreak has demonstrated, Asia is hardly virgin territory for food scares.
That Asian attitudes should differ from the West is unsuprising, but the uniformity of the survey results certainly appears to demonstrate a general consensus. For example, in Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Taiwan, over two-thirds of respondents see obesity as being an issue of individual responsibility.
Certain factors go some way towards explaining this trend. The region is markedly less litigious than its Western counterparts and a culture of blame has yet to take root. In addition, NGO and pressure group presence on food issues is miniscule compared to the West; this can be expected to change in the coming years. Finally, as a health issue, obesity has yet to reach critical status in this region. As many studies indicate, however, on this count at least, Asia is expected to catch up to the West sooner rather than later.
With these factors in mind, food industry marketers in Asia will appreciate that the Universal McCann's findings hardly leave them off the hook.
As the region's access to media increases, consumers can be expected to become more savvy regarding health issues. In addition, the accelerating shift from an Asian diet to a Western one is likely to possess significant cultural overtones - in much the same manner as the 'Asian Values' debate.
That Asian consumers overwhelmingly see obesity as a matter of personal responsibility also indicates that food brands need to provide the necessary resources for these individuals to make an informed choice, be it through more transparent food labelling or greater communications initiatives.
Finally, it is worth noting that in China's massive market, attitudes differ markedly from the rest of the Asian countries surveyed. A fifth of respondents hold food manufacturers to blame for obesity and, for a country with a relatively small fastfood sector, a 10 per cent finding for this sector is disproportionately high. Many will point to a more regulated marketplace and the consequent effects on consumer attitdues - but how food marketers act on these results may well define their future success in the country.