Nutrition & the 2006–08 Food Price Crisis in Latin America

 
 

From 2006 to 2008, there were sharp increases in the prices of major food commodities globally, including maize, rice, and wheat. Yet while food prices continue to rise during the current financial crisis, limited empirical evidence exists for how the changing economic conditions have affected nutrition.

 

Drawing data from nationally representative household budget surveys, this study assesses changes in energy intake in response to food price shocks in relation to calorie adequacy levels in seven Latin American countries.  The results found that energy intake was reduced by 8% from pre-economic crisis levels across all countries.  In particular, disparities were high between rich and poor populations, and those living in urban versus rural areas. This study offers insight into the potential impacts of a macroeconomic shock - the food price crisis of 2006 to 2008 - on the nutrition of populations; however, additional research is needed on this subject.


Investigators

Lora Iannotti
Assistant Professor, Brown School
liannotti@wustl.edu

Miguel Robles
Associate Professor, Brown School

Funders

 

 

Reports

 
 
Download the PDF of Negative impact on calorie intake associated with the 2006–08 food price crisis in Latin America here.
 
 

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