Potential causes and health effects of rising global food prices

Jamun (<i>Syzygium cumini </i>(L.)): A Review of Its Food and Medicinal Uses

“…Constituents of Syzgium cumini seeds are fatty oils (30 g/kg), including lauric (2.8%), myristic (31.7%), palmitic (4.7%), stearic (6.5%), oleic (32.2%), linoleic (16.1%), malvalic (1.2%), sterculic (1.8%) and vernolic acid (3%) and phytosterols such as β-sitosterol. Further constituents are tannins (6%), predominantly corilagin, ellagitannins, ellagic acid, galloyl-galactoside and gallic acid [7]. The leaf oil consists of 16.91% octadecane, 9.98% nonacosane, 9.38% triacontane, 7.38% octacosane, 4.86% Heptacosane, 4.25% hexadecanoic acid and 4.02% eicosane.…”

Economic incentives to promote healthier food purchases: exploring acceptability and key factors for success

“…The case for taxes on sugared beverages is gaining traction in the USA Brownell and Frieden, 2009), but concerns about the potentially regressive nature of food taxation (Nnoaham et al, 2009), particularly in light of the impact of the recent economic crisis on food prices (Lock et al, 2009), mean that economic subsidies or incentives are generally considered a more acceptable intervention tool. Empirical evidence suggests that economic incentives are a promising means to promote healthier dietary practices including food purchases (Wall et al, 2006;Herman et al, 2008;Volpp et al, 2008;Ni Mhurchu et al, 2010).…”

Shopping around: how households adjusted food spending over the Great Recession

“…Unlike previous recessions, expenditure on food failed to keep pace with rising food prices, which has led some to infer a substantial reduction in the size and nutritional quality of households' food baskets (see, for example, Taylor-Robinson et al (2013) and Lock et al (2009)); similar concerns have also been raised in the US (see US Department of Agriculture (2013, 2013). However, it is well known that equating expenditure with consumption can lead to mistaken conclusions about how households are affected by changes in their economic environment; for example, households may increase their time spent searching for lower prices (Stigler (1961)) or in home production (Becker (1965)) in order to smooth their consumption.…”

“…Households achieved this by lowering the average real price per calorie that they paid for their shopping basket. A possible concern is that a switch to cheaper calories could lead to a reduction in the nutritional quality of those calories (see, inter alia, Lock et al (2009) and US Department of Agriculture (2010)). It has been well documented (e.g.…”