“Big Food,” the Consumer Food Environment, Health, and the Policy Response in South Africa

Igumbor, Ehimario; Sanders, David; Puoane, Thandi; Tsolekile, Lungiswa; Schwarz, Cassandra; Purdy, Christopher; Swart, Rina; Durão, Solange; Hawkes, Corinna

doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1001253

Cited by 152 publications

(169 citation statements)

References 15 publications

(23 reference statements)

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“…There are more complex indices based on 24-h recall or food frequency data, such as the Healthy Eating Index or the Diet Quality Index, however they are seldom employed in the context of developing countries due to the need for more sophisticated dietary intake and food composition data (e.g., to understand the contribution of saturated fat intakes, this element must be present in the food composition data for the food system being analyzed). A number of authors propose greater attention to consideration of the local food environment that could be measured, such as cost of a healthy diet, relative prices of different food groups, biodiversity, and other local level factors influencing food access and consumer choice (Burlingame and Dernini 2012; Igumbor et al 2012;).…”

Section: Indicators For Diet Qualitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Agricultural research for nutrition outcomes – rethinking the agenda

et al. 2015

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Agriculture and food are assumed to be critical determinants of stunting and micronutrient deficiency. However, agriculture research for development has not translated as expected into better nutrition outcomes. We argue that to do so, agriculture research needs to be fundamentally changed, from the current emphasis on supply-side production and productivity goals to understanding consumption and addressing factors that can improve diet quality. Some of the research will be to improve the efficiency of supply for more nutritious foods. Other research will need to focus on factors that promote diet quality rather than focus on food security goals through stocks of staple cereals. Because of its importance in low-income, high-burden countries, agriculture can also contribute more effectively to multisectoral nutrition-sensitive development strategies and programs. Critical roles for agricultural research in multisectoral actions will be better metrics, indicators and research studies for diet quality and better evaluation methodsboth randomized trials for specific interventions and contribution analysis through theories of change for more complex multisectoral system interventions to prevent stunting and micronutrient deficiencies. To achieve improvements in nutrition outcomes at scale, researchers must engage in new partnerships. In food systems, these partnerships must include more disciplines from agriculture and food science through economics and social science to business and delivery science. Food system researchers will also need to engage more with value chain actors and policy makers. Current efforts to improve nutrition outcomes at scale are severely hampered by data and evidence gaps that prevent better decisions and faster learning.

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Section: Indicators For Diet Qualitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Agricultural research for nutrition outcomes – rethinking the agenda

et al. 2015

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“…This situation exists in an environment where there is both rapid urbanization, increasing globalization of food trade, and exposure of consumers to new and processed products [20]. Also, there is a contemporary and persistently increasing high demand for cheaper, easily accessible food [21].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Food retail assessment and family food purchase behavior in Ashongman estates, Ghana

Aryeetey¹,

Oltmans²,

Owusu³

2016

AJFAND

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A key feature of the nutrition transition in developed countries is the rapid transformation of the food system towards increasing availability and access to cheaper, and more processed foods. These changes are associated with alterations in dietary behavior with implications for chronic disease risk. However, the process of change in the food system begins with changes in the food retail system and its subsequent effect on consumer behavior. Currently, little is known about the nature of the food marketplace in emerging economies like Ghana, and also how the changing economy and food retail situation are influencing consumer behavior. The current paper presents a case study of the food retail system and consumer food purchase behavior in suburban Accra. Between May and August 2012, an assessment of food retail outlets was carried out in Ashongman Estates, a suburb of Accra. The study involved observations, in-depth interviews with retailers, and a survey of households. Data from the study allowed classification of retail food vendors across the urban food retail system. In addition, data on food purchase preferences and purchase behavior were obtained from a household survey of 75 randomly selected households in Ashongman Estates. The data showed that traditional markets still constitute the most important source of household food purchases. A majority of households (87%) reported preference for traditional markets, and almost all households (99%) indicated traditional markets as their main source for purchasing household food. Foods available from supermarkets were mainly processed foods. However, processed foods are also commonly available through the traditional markets and minimarkets. The preference for traditional markets was attributed to greater variety of foods, lower price, and proximity of food source. Minimarket vendors, including corner stores, table top vendors, hawkers, and fuel station shops that are located within the community, served as an additional food source, complementing food purchases from the traditional markets. The study concluded that although traditional markets remain the main source of household food, interventions are needed to ensure that food markets in the community include access to a variety of fresh produce rather than promote processed foods, in order to promote consumer health.

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“…Prior work (9)(10)(11)(12)(13) corroborates these results and further highlights the likelihood that the increased level of SSB consumption since 1999 could be fuelling the obesity epidemic in most developing countries. Energy-dense beverages (sugar-sweetened and carbonated beverages, in particular) are mostly imported into developing countries via emerging markets and food franchises.…”

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confidence: 55%