Retailing of Processed Dairy and Grain Products in Mali: Evidence from a City Retail Outlet Inventory

Abstract

Abstract:As in many sub-Saharan African countries, Mali is experiencing an unprecedented rate of urbanization and, with it, changes to its agri-food system. As more people live in urban areas, the demand for processed foods has been increasing rapidly. These changes have important implications for food and nutrition security. Yet, little is known about the scale and scope of the retailing of processed foods. To better understand this segment, we conducted a city retail outlet inventory of processed dairy and cereal foods in 2016. The main findings are that: (1) food availability is greater in the capital, high-income neighborhoods, and supermarkets; (2) there is a high prevalence of imported foods; (3) added sugar and vegetable fats are listed as a top-three ingredient in a quarter of processed products, highlighting issues related to healthfulness; (4) price premiums are paid for products that are imported from Europe, use improved packaging, and are retailed in supermarkets. Taken together, our findings indicate that the transformation in the Malian agri-food system is still at an early stage. The growing demand for processed foods presents economic opportunities for Malian farmers and processors, especially if they can improve product quality, packaging, and distribution.

The transformation of urban food systems in Ghana: Findings from inventories of processed products

“…This study adds to the emerging picture of the transformation of the urban food system across Africa. Our findings confirm the prevalence of imported food products in West Africa, as shown by similar inventories conducted recently (Liverpool Tasie et al, 2016; Theriault et al, 2018). However, unlike the Mali case, where Theriault et al (2018) found no international supermarket chains and only a few local supermarkets in the capital Bamako, we see penetration of international and local chain supermarkets across all cities in Ghana.…”

“…Our findings confirm the prevalence of imported food products in West Africa, as shown by similar inventories conducted recently (Liverpool Tasie et al, 2016; Theriault et al, 2018). However, unlike the Mali case, where Theriault et al (2018) found no international supermarket chains and only a few local supermarkets in the capital Bamako, we see penetration of international and local chain supermarkets across all cities in Ghana. Although inventories in Tanzania showed locally manufactured grain products dominating imports (Ijumba et al, 2015), the opposite holds true in Ghana (this study), Mali (Theriault et al, 2018) and Nigeria (Liverpool Tasie et al, 2016).…”

“…Research on food system transformation in Africa has focused on eastern and southern Africa (D’Haese and Van Huylenbroeck, 2005; Hassen et al, 2016; Ijumba et al, 2015; Minten and Reardon, 2008; Minten et al, 2013; Minten et al, 2016; Tschirley et al, 2015a). Until recently, relatively little attention has been paid to West Africa (Hollinger and Staatz, 2015; Liverpool Tasie et al, 2016; Theriault et al, 2018). West Africa is a suitable setting for this type of research because it is experiencing important trends such as rising food imports (Zhou and Staatz, 2016) and rapid urbanization; it is home to highly integrated cross-border markets for agricultural inputs and food staples; and it has a broader diversity of staple diets compared to the rest of Africa.…”

“…To obtain data on the marketing channels and the types of food products in the cities, we collected information on retail outlets and processed foods for sale in eight cities, following an inventory approach used recently in Mali (Theriault et al, 2018), Nigeria (Liverpool Tasie et al, 2016) and Tanzania (Ijumba et al, 2015; Snyder et al, 2015). The inventories focused on specific products under the broad categories of processed meats; fruits and vegetables; grains; and starches.…”

Fonio and Bambara Groundnut Value Chains in Mali: Issues, Needs, and Opportunities for Their Sustainable Promotion

“…Each commune encapsulates several neighborhoods. Five types of outlets that represented the variety of commercial structures in the capital city were targeted [45]:…”