VO<sub>2</sub> max improves in Indian school children after a feeding trail with iron biofortified pearl millet

The success of biofortified staple crops depends on whether they are accepted and consumed by target populations. In the past 8 years, several studies were undertaken to understand consumers' acceptance of foods made with biofortified staple crops. Consumer acceptance is measured in terms of their sensory evaluation and economic valuation of biofortified varieties vis-à-vis conventional ones. These studies apply expert sensory panel and hedonic trait analyses methods adopted from food sciences literature, as well as various preference elicitation methods (including experimental auctions, revealed choice experiments, and stated choice experiments) adopted from experimental economics literature. These studies also test the impact of various levers on consumers' evaluation and valuation for biofortified foods. These levers include (i) nutrition information and the media through which such information is conveyed; (ii) the length and content of nutrition information; (iii) different branding options; (iv) the nature (national or international) of the branding/ certification agency that is endorsing the biofortified staple food; and (v) the nature (national or international) of the agency that is delivering the biofortified staple food. This paper brings together evidence on consumer acceptance of biofortified crops on 5 crops across 7 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The results of these studies are expected to aid in the development of biofortified crops that consumers like, as well as in the development of appropriate marketing and consumer awareness or information campaigns to encourage the switch in consumption from traditional staples to biofortified ones.

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Availability, production, and consumption of crops biofortified by plant breeding: current evidence and future potential

Saltzman

Birol

Oparinde

et al. 2017

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences

112

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Biofortification is the process of increasing the density of vitamins and minerals in a crop through plant breeding-using either conventional methods or genetic engineering-or through agronomic practices. Over the past 15 years, conventional breeding efforts have resulted in the development of varieties of several staple food crops with significant levels of the three micronutrients most limiting in diets: zinc, iron, and vitamin A. More than 15 million people in developing countries now grow and consume biofortified crops. Evidence from nutrition research shows that biofortified varieties provide considerable amounts of bioavailable micronutrients, and consumption of these varieties can improve micronutrient deficiency status among target populations. Farmer adoption and consumer acceptance research shows that farmers and consumers like the various production and consumption characteristics of biofortified varieties, as much as (if not more than) popular conventional varieties, even in the absence of nutritional information. Further development and delivery of these micronutrient-rich varieties can potentially reduce hidden hunger, especially in rural populations whose diets rely on staple food crops. Future work includes strengthening the supply of and the demand for biofortified staple food crops and facilitating targeted investment to those crop-country combinations that have the highest potential nutritional impact.

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VO₂ max improves in Indian school children after a feeding trail with iron biofortified pearl millet

Cited by 3 publications

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All Roads Leading to: Iron Phytofortification

All Roads Leading to: Iron Phytofortification

Developing country consumers’ acceptance of biofortified foods: a synthesis

Availability, production, and consumption of crops biofortified by plant breeding: current evidence and future potential

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VO2 max improves in Indian school children after a feeding trail with iron biofortified pearl millet

Cited by 3 publications

References 0 publications

All Roads Leading to: Iron Phytofortification

All Roads Leading to: Iron Phytofortification

Developing country consumers’ acceptance of biofortified foods: a synthesis

Availability, production, and consumption of crops biofortified by plant breeding: current evidence and future potential

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

VO₂ max improves in Indian school children after a feeding trail with iron biofortified pearl millet