Cost and affordability of nutritious diets at retail prices: Evidence from 177 countries

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cg.authorship.typesCGIAR single centreen
cg.contributor.affiliationInternational Food Policy Research Instituteen
cg.contributor.crpAgriculture for Nutrition and Health
cg.contributor.donorBill & Melinda Gates Foundationen
cg.contributor.donorForeign, Commonwealth and Development Office, United Kingdomen
cg.contributor.donorUnited States Agency for International Developmenten
cg.creator.identifierDEREK HEADEY: 0000-0003-2476-5131
cg.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2020.101983en
cg.identifier.projectIFPRI - United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS)
cg.identifier.projectIFPRI - Advancing Research on Nutrition and Agriculture (ARENA)
cg.identifier.projectIFPRI - Poverty, Health, and Nutrition Division
cg.identifier.projectIFPRI - Feed the Future
cg.identifier.publicationRankA
cg.isijournalISI Journalen
cg.issn0306-9192en
cg.issue21-Feben
cg.journalFood Policyen
cg.reviewStatusPeer Reviewen
cg.volume99en
dc.contributor.authorBai, Yanen
dc.contributor.authorAlemu, Robelen
dc.contributor.authorBlock, Steven A.en
dc.contributor.authorHeadey, Derek D.en
dc.contributor.authorMasters, William A.en
dc.date.accessioned2024-05-22T12:10:39Zen
dc.date.available2024-05-22T12:10:39Zen
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/142548
dc.titleCost and affordability of nutritious diets at retail prices: Evidence from 177 countriesen
dcterms.abstractMany policies and programs aim to bring nutritious diets within reach of the poor. This paper uses retail prices and nutrient composition for 671 foods and beverages to compute the daily cost of essential nutrients required for an active and healthy life in 177 countries around the world. We compare this minimum cost of nutrient adequacy with the subsistence cost of dietary energy and per-capita spending on all goods and services, to identify stylized facts about how diet cost and affordability relate to economic development and nutrition outcomes. On average, the most affordable nutrient adequate diet exceeds the cost of adequate energy by a factor of 2.66, costing US$1.35 per day to meet median requirements of healthy adult women in 2011. Affordability is lowest in Sub-Saharan Africa. The sensitivity of diet costs to each requirement reveals the high cost of staying within acceptable macronutrient ranges, particularly the upper limit for carbohydrates. Among micronutrients, total diet costs are most sensitive to requirements for calcium as well as vitamins A, C, E, B12, folate and riboflavin. On average, about 5% of dietary energy in the least-cost nutrient adequate diets is derived from animal source foods, with small quantities of meat and fish. Over 70% of all animal products in least-cost diets is eggs and dairy, but only in upper-middle and high-income countries. In lower income countries where egg and dairy prices are significantly higher, they are replaced by larger volumes of vegetal foods. When controlling for national income, diet costs are most significantly correlated with rural travel times and rural electrification. These data suggest opportunities for targeted policies and programs that reduce market prices and the cost of nutritious diets, while improving affordability through nutrition assistance, safety nets and higher earnings among low-income households.en
dcterms.accessRightsOpen Access
dcterms.bibliographicCitationBai, Yan; Alemu, Robel; Block, Steven A.; Headey, Derek D.; and Masters, William A. 2021. Cost and affordability of nutritious diets at retail prices: Evidence from 177 countries. Food 99(February 2021): 101983. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2020.101983en
dcterms.descriptionThis paper is the recipient of the 2022 AAEA award for Quality of Communications.en
dcterms.issued2021-02-01
dcterms.languageen
dcterms.licenseCC-BY-4.0
dcterms.publisherElsevieren
dcterms.relationhttps://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(19)30447-4en
dcterms.relationhttps://doi.org/10.1093/jn/nxz158en
dcterms.relationhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2020.101982en
dcterms.relationhttps://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.134483en
dcterms.replaceshttps://ebrary.ifpri.org/digital/collection/p15738coll5/id/7519en
dcterms.subjectcostsen
dcterms.subjectsubsistenceen
dcterms.subjectmarket pricesen
dcterms.subjectcapacity developmenten
dcterms.subjectnutritionen
dcterms.subjectretail pricesen
dcterms.subjectfood pricesen
dcterms.subjectpovertyen
dcterms.subjectdieten
dcterms.subjectpricesen
dcterms.subjectcost of subsistenceen
dcterms.subjectnutrient availabilityen
dcterms.typeJournal Article

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