Estimating the cost and affordability of healthy diets: How much do methods matter?
Cost and affordability of healthy diet (CoAHD) metrics developed in a handful of academic studies have quickly become mainstream food security indicators among major development institutions. The World Bank and FAO now report CoAHD statistics in their widely used databanks, and the UN’s State of Foo...
| Autores principales: | , , |
|---|---|
| Formato: | Artículo preliminar |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
| Publicado: |
International Food Policy Research Institute
2023
|
| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/140327 |
| _version_ | 1855524625845321728 |
|---|---|
| author | Headey, Derek D. Hirvonen, Kalle Alderman, Harold |
| author_browse | Alderman, Harold Headey, Derek D. Hirvonen, Kalle |
| author_facet | Headey, Derek D. Hirvonen, Kalle Alderman, Harold |
| author_sort | Headey, Derek D. |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | Cost and affordability of healthy diet (CoAHD) metrics developed in a handful of academic studies have quickly become mainstream food security indicators among major development institutions. The World Bank and FAO now report CoAHD statistics in their widely used databanks, and the UN’s State of Food Insecurity and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) reports CoAHD metrics on an annual basis, with the headline conclusion being that over 3 billion people worldwide cannot afford a healthy diet. While quantifying affordability constraints is indeed a vital addition to the suite of global food security indicators, there is a dearth of scientific analysis on the accuracy and sensitivity of CoAHD methods. Published global CoAHD estimates rely on three implicit assumptions: that demographic differences across countries have little effect on average diet costs; that non-food expenditure requirements have little systematic variation across countries; and that international food price data is representative in a population sense and product coverage sense. Testing these assumptions on the cost of the EAT-Lancet reference diet, we find sizable sensitivity of baseline methods to adjusting diet affordability estimates for systematic cross-country differences in demographic profiles and non-food expenditure requirements, smaller effects of adjusting for inadequate food product coverage in international price data, and inconclusive evidence on issues of urban bias in price surveys. Our proposed methodological improvements significantly change country, regional and global estimates of healthy diet affordability, though not the headline conclusion that several billion people cannot afford a healthy diet. Even so, the accuracy, rigor, and reliability of CoAHD statistics warrant closer investigation given their widespread adoption and utilization. |
| format | Artículo preliminar |
| id | CGSpace140327 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2023 |
| publishDateRange | 2023 |
| publishDateSort | 2023 |
| publisher | International Food Policy Research Institute |
| publisherStr | International Food Policy Research Institute |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace1403272025-12-02T21:03:03Z Estimating the cost and affordability of healthy diets: How much do methods matter? Headey, Derek D. Hirvonen, Kalle Alderman, Harold expenditure costs development programmes urban areas affordability nutrition demography food security food prices diet poverty Cost and affordability of healthy diet (CoAHD) metrics developed in a handful of academic studies have quickly become mainstream food security indicators among major development institutions. The World Bank and FAO now report CoAHD statistics in their widely used databanks, and the UN’s State of Food Insecurity and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) reports CoAHD metrics on an annual basis, with the headline conclusion being that over 3 billion people worldwide cannot afford a healthy diet. While quantifying affordability constraints is indeed a vital addition to the suite of global food security indicators, there is a dearth of scientific analysis on the accuracy and sensitivity of CoAHD methods. Published global CoAHD estimates rely on three implicit assumptions: that demographic differences across countries have little effect on average diet costs; that non-food expenditure requirements have little systematic variation across countries; and that international food price data is representative in a population sense and product coverage sense. Testing these assumptions on the cost of the EAT-Lancet reference diet, we find sizable sensitivity of baseline methods to adjusting diet affordability estimates for systematic cross-country differences in demographic profiles and non-food expenditure requirements, smaller effects of adjusting for inadequate food product coverage in international price data, and inconclusive evidence on issues of urban bias in price surveys. Our proposed methodological improvements significantly change country, regional and global estimates of healthy diet affordability, though not the headline conclusion that several billion people cannot afford a healthy diet. Even so, the accuracy, rigor, and reliability of CoAHD statistics warrant closer investigation given their widespread adoption and utilization. 2023-04-19 2024-03-14T12:09:20Z 2024-03-14T12:09:20Z Working Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/140327 en https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(19)30447-4 https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/nxz158 Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Headey, Derek D.; Hirvonen, Kalle; and Alderman, Harold. 2023. Estimating the cost and affordability of healthy diets: How much do methods matter? IFPRI Discussion Paper 2179. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.136680. |
| spellingShingle | expenditure costs development programmes urban areas affordability nutrition demography food security food prices diet poverty Headey, Derek D. Hirvonen, Kalle Alderman, Harold Estimating the cost and affordability of healthy diets: How much do methods matter? |
| title | Estimating the cost and affordability of healthy diets: How much do methods matter? |
| title_full | Estimating the cost and affordability of healthy diets: How much do methods matter? |
| title_fullStr | Estimating the cost and affordability of healthy diets: How much do methods matter? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Estimating the cost and affordability of healthy diets: How much do methods matter? |
| title_short | Estimating the cost and affordability of healthy diets: How much do methods matter? |
| title_sort | estimating the cost and affordability of healthy diets how much do methods matter |
| topic | expenditure costs development programmes urban areas affordability nutrition demography food security food prices diet poverty |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/140327 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT headeyderekd estimatingthecostandaffordabilityofhealthydietshowmuchdomethodsmatter AT hirvonenkalle estimatingthecostandaffordabilityofhealthydietshowmuchdomethodsmatter AT aldermanharold estimatingthecostandaffordabilityofhealthydietshowmuchdomethodsmatter |