Trade and dietary diversity in Eastern Europe and Central Asia
Publication date: Available online 23 September 2019Source: Food PolicyAuthor(s): Ekaterina Krivonos, Lena KuhnAbstractIn public and academic debates, the linkages between agricultural markets and nutrition across the world are vividly discussed. This paper contributes to the ongoing debate by analyzing the relationship between greater openness to trade and dietary diversity. It focuses on the post-communist countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia where trade reforms triggered growth in trade flows and foreign direct investment, which in turn affected food systems in these countries. This shift provides a natural expe...
Source: Food Policy - September 24, 2019 Category: Food Science Source Type: research
Conditions influencing the adoption of a soda tax for public health: Analysis of the French case (2005–2012)
This study shows that in August 2011, the French government surprisingly announced a €3.58 cent/L excise tax on SSBs, excluding juices with no added sugars and non-calorically sweetened beverages (NCSBs). As part of a large budgetary plan, the proposal aimed to reduce SSB consumption and raise revenue that was earmarked for health care. Several conditions contributed to opening a policy window: The announcement occurred in the context of severe budgetary deficits; soda tax scenarios had already been discussed at a high level; and the bill was supported by convinced political leaders. Subsequently, the tax successfully ...
Source: Food Policy - September 19, 2019 Category: Food Science Source Type: research
Consumers’ valuation for food traceability in China: Does trust matter?
Publication date: Available online 18 September 2019Source: Food PolicyAuthor(s): Ruifeng Liu, Zhifeng Gao, Rodolfo M. Nayga, Heather Arielle Snell, Hengyun MaAbstractFood safety is a very important topic in China. We investigate Chinese consumers’ preferences and willingness to pay (WTP) for food traceability using a choice experiment. Given that consumers’ trust in the food system may affect their preferences and WTP, we also assess the interaction between consumers’ trust in government’s supervision of food safety and food labels and consumers’ preferences for traceable food products. Using data collected from...
Source: Food Policy - September 19, 2019 Category: Food Science Source Type: research
First foods: Diet quality among infants aged 6–23 months in 42 countries
Publication date: Available online 13 September 2019Source: Food PolicyAuthor(s): Samira Choudhury, Derek D. Headey, William A. MastersAbstractDiet quality is closely linked to child growth and development, especially among infants aged 6–23 months who need to complement breastmilk with the gradual introduction of nutrient-rich solid foods. This paper links Demographic and Health Survey data on infant feeding to household and environmental factors for 76,641 children in 42 low- and middle-income countries surveyed in 2006–2013, providing novel stylized facts about diets in early childhood. Multivariate regressions ex...
Source: Food Policy - September 14, 2019 Category: Food Science Source Type: research
Women’s empowerment and nutrition status: The case of iron deficiency in India
Publication date: Available online 13 September 2019Source: Food PolicyAuthor(s): Soumya Gupta, Prabhu Pingali, Per Pinstrup-AndersenAbstractIn this paper we study the relationship between women’s empowerment in agriculture and their iron deficiency status in Maharashtra, India. This is the first time the Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI) has been used in association with explicit measurement of medical biomarkers for women’s iron deficiency status. Using primary data for 960 women we find that the log odds of a poor iron status in women decline as women’s empowerment levels in agriculture improve. Fu...
Source: Food Policy - September 14, 2019 Category: Food Science Source Type: research
Does food processing mitigate consumers’ concerns about crops grown with recycled water?
Publication date: Available online 12 September 2019Source: Food PolicyAuthor(s): Olesya M. Savchenko, Tongzhe Li, Maik Kecinski, Kent D. MesserAbstractThis paper presents results from a field experiment designed to evaluate whether food processing alleviates consumers’ concerns about crops grown with recycled water. Recycled water has emerged as a potentially safe and cost-effective way to replace or supplement traditional irrigation water. However, adoption of recycled water by U.S. agricultural producers has been modest, in part, because of concerns that consumers will be reluctant to accept their products. Our result...
Source: Food Policy - September 12, 2019 Category: Food Science Source Type: research
One more tool for the food aid toolbox? Experimental evidence on food aid packaging
Publication date: Available online 11 September 2019Source: Food PolicyAuthor(s): Mark Brennan, Prithvi Sundar, Jarrod Goentzel, Daniel Frey, Joanne MathiasAbstractInternational food assistance reaches more than 90 million people per year, much of it through in-kind programs that distribute food. Several key aspects of in-kind programs—what food is shipped, when and from where it is sourced—have been changed to improve program effectiveness and efficiency, becoming helpful tools in the modernized in-kind food assistance toolbox. Packaging—in what food is shipped—remains an unstudied and underused tool despite more ...
Source: Food Policy - September 12, 2019 Category: Food Science Source Type: research
Eco-labels and product longevity: The case of whitefish in UK grocery retailing
This study applies duration analysis to explore whether two eco-labels (the MSC label of the Marine Stewardship Council and a line-caught label) influence product longevity of whitefish products in eight different grocery retailers in the UK. The results show that MSC labeled products have a 64.7% lower risk of being withdrawn from the shelves compared to non-MSC products, while products with the line-caught label have a 32.8% lower risk of being withdrawn than products without this label. The results also indicate that the influence of the eco-labels on product longevity vary considerably between the retailers. (Source: Food Policy)
Source: Food Policy - August 28, 2019 Category: Food Science Source Type: research
A theory-based evaluation of food waste policy: Evidence from Italy
Publication date: Available online 21 August 2019Source: Food PolicyAuthor(s): Simone BusettiAbstractItaly recently reformed its food waste policy by introducing innovative measures, such as the possibility of donating food after the best-before date (BBD) and a significant simplification of the bureaucracy of donations. These measures are advocated by food waste specialists and are thought to increase donations almost automatically. The article performs a theory-based evaluation using the method of realist synthesis to investigate the two measures, test their implicit assumptions, and provide a more complete picture of ho...
Source: Food Policy - August 22, 2019 Category: Food Science Source Type: research
Editorial Board
Publication date: August 2019Source: Food Policy, Volume 87Author(s): (Source: Food Policy)
Source: Food Policy - August 16, 2019 Category: Food Science Source Type: research
Food deserts and diet-related health outcomes of the elderly
Publication date: Available online 6 August 2019Source: Food PolicyAuthor(s): Katie Fitzpatrick, Nadia Greenhalgh-Stanley, Michele Ver PloegAbstractIt is hypothesized that residents of neighborhoods with limited access to affordable and nutritious food face greater barriers to eating a healthy diet, which may in turn, result in worse health outcomes for them. Low-income elderly in urban areas may be uniquely affected by these so-called “food deserts” due to limited transportation options, strong attachments to local neighborhoods, fixed incomes, physical limitations in food shopping and meal preparation, and chronic he...
Source: Food Policy - August 7, 2019 Category: Food Science Source Type: research
Assessing the contribution of artisanal fisheries to food security: A bio-economic modeling approach
Publication date: Available online 5 August 2019Source: Food PolicyAuthor(s): Kira Lancker, Lorena Fricke, Jörn O. SchmidtAbstractArtisanal fisheries are an important food source in many developing regions. Quantitative bio-economic models are needed that comprehensively assess artisanal fisheries’ contribution to food security. Our model combines standard resource economics theory with the literature on food systems. It explains impacts of environmental variations and market development on output, prices and ultimately food security. The application to the Senegalese purse-seine fishery reveals that total sector rents ...
Source: Food Policy - August 6, 2019 Category: Food Science Source Type: research
Are consumers at the base of the pyramid willing to pay for nutritious foods?
Publication date: Available online 1 August 2019Source: Food PolicyAuthor(s): Christine G.K. Chege, Kenneth W. Sibiko, Rosina Wanyama, Matthias Jager, Eliud BirachiAbstractBase of the Pyramid (BoP) consumers living in the urban informal settlements of developing countries spend over 60% of their income on food, yet malnutrition and micronutrient deficiency remain widespread among these populations, pointing to the inadequacy of the foods they consume in terms of quality and quantity. In this paper we examine BoP consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for nutritious multi-composite porridge flour (improved flour) in the info...
Source: Food Policy - August 2, 2019 Category: Food Science Source Type: research
Heterogeneous incentives for innovation adoption: The price effect on segmented markets
Publication date: Available online 30 July 2019Source: Food PolicyAuthor(s): Isabelle BonjeanAbstractIt is now commonly accepted that poverty alleviation and the development of agricultural value chains in low income countries require farmers to innovate. However numerous constraints to innovation adoption have been identified. In the literature, the market structures on which producers sell their output have received remarkably little attention. In this article, I argue that these can impact a producer’s choices with respect to the level of effort invested in changing agricultural practices. More specifically, due to tr...
Source: Food Policy - July 31, 2019 Category: Food Science Source Type: research
New concerns on caffeine consumption and the impact of potential regulations: The case of energy drinks
Publication date: Available online 31 July 2019Source: Food PolicyAuthor(s): Xuan Chen, Yizao Liu, Edward C. Jaenicke, Adam N. RabinowitzAbstractThe increasing consumption of energy drinks and caffeine added products, coupled with somewhat inconsistent labeling practices, has generated health concerns from possible excessive caffeine intake. In this paper, we simulate the impacts of potential caffeine content regulatory policies on demand for energy drinks as well as caffeine and sugar consumption. We model demand for energy drinks as a function of price and product characteristics that includes both caffeine levels and th...
Source: Food Policy - July 31, 2019 Category: Food Science Source Type: research
