E‐commerce improves dietary quality of rural households in China

Abstract

E‐commerce is gaining importance in the food sector of many countries, and its potential influence on people's access to food and dietary choices is yet to be thoroughly investigated. In this study, we analyze data from a food consumption survey conducted in rural China in 2021 to examine the impact of e‐commerce on individual food consumption patterns and dietary quality. Our results with instrumental variable models show that e‐commerce significantly reduces the consumption of staple foods, such as cereals and potatoes, while it increases the consumption of legumes, nuts, milk, and milk products, even after controlling for income and other confounding factors. Additionally, e‐commerce contributes to higher dietary diversity and dietary quality among rural households. In the face of shrinking physical markets in rural areas, it seems that rural e‐commerce can serve as an important mechanism to improve food access and meet the diversifying dietary demands of rural residents. [EconLit Citations: Q13, L81].

The effect of Internet use on nutritional intake and health outcomes: new evidence from rural China

“…Finally, the DDS is the sum of all the food groups ranging between 0 and 10. As is shown in Table 1 , the mean value of DDS is 4.824 which is similar to Shen et al ( 10 ). For more details on the consumption of each food group, please refer to Supplementary Figure S1 .…”

“…Internet use may also affect nutritional intake and health outcomes, but results are mixed and there is a lack of research on rural areas in developing countries. First, Internet use can improve food accessibility by allowing residents to access food that is not available in nearby supermarkets ( 10 ). Second, the Internet can reduce the transaction costs in the agricultural market and promote farmers’ market participation, thereby improving consumers’ affordability of food.…”

“…Based on the household survey data of 10,042 rural households in six provinces in China, Xue et al ( 12 ) found that Internet use can increase calorie, protein and fat intake, thereby improving the nutritional status of rural residents. Shen et al found that the dietary diversity of Internet users is higher than the respondents who do not use the Internet ( 10 ). The results of Ma and Jin’s ( 13 ) study showed that Internet use can significantly improve the dietary quality of rural residents in China.…”