E-poster prepared for Knowledge Fair side event at 2020 Conference on "Leveraging agriculture for improving nutrition and health," Feb 10-12, 2011, New Delhi, India Credit: HarvestPlus

1. Food Prices, Dietary Quality, and Nutritional Status
Howarth Bouis, Patrick Eozenou, and Aminur Rahman
HarvestPlus • 2033 K St. NW • Washington, DC 20006 • www.harvestplus.org
Rising food prices around the world are negatively affecting the continue to buy and maintain their consumption of food staples
nutrition of the poor who are coping primarily by reducing the despite increases in prices above other types of foods.
amount of non-staple foods (leafy green vegetables, fruits, and Given a food price increase of 50% across the board (holding
animal products) that they eat. Minerals and vitamins are incomes constant), simulations suggest that for Filipino women,
concentrated in these non-staple foods so any reduction in the iron intakes would decline from 7 mg Fe/day to about 5 mg
already low amounts of these foods consumed by the poor will Fe/day. This would mean that the percentage of Filipino women
increase micronutrient malnutrition. Preschool children and meeting their daily iron requirements would decline from 30%
women of reproductive age are generally more at risk from to 5% as a result of the price increase.
micronutrient deficiencies and will suffer the most from food
price increases. Biofortification can help make up for the expected
micronutrient shortfall especially among poor consumers by
The poor must, at all costs, protect their consumption of food providing staple food crops with higher amounts of essential
staples to keep from going hungry. Since demand for food vitamins and minerals.
staples (e.g. rice, wheat, maize) is highly inelastic, people will
50% Increase in All Food Prices
Share of Total Expenditures Daily Iron Intakes (mg/d) for Filipino Women
Before After 20
18
16 With 50% food price increase,
Staples intake would drop to 5 mg/d or
Fe required (mg/day)
14
only 5% of daily requirement
Staples 12
10
Non-
Animal & 8
Staple Fish 6
Plant Products Estimated average iron intake
4 among Filipino woman is 7 mg/d
Foods Non-Staple Animal &
Plant Foods Fish Products
2 (30% of daily requirement)
0
Non-Food Non-Food 0 20 40 60 80 100
Estimated percentile of requirement
Forthcoming publication: Bouis HE, Eozenou P, Animur R. 2011. Food prices, household income, and resource allocation:
Socioeconomic perspectives on their effects on dietary quality and nutritional status. Food and Nutrition Bulletin, 32(1): S14-S23.