Measuring the Affordability of Nutritious Diets in Africa: Price Indexes for Diet Diversity and the Cost of Nutrient Adequacy.

Policies and programs often aim to improve the affordability of nutritious diets, but existing food price indexes are based on observed quantities that may not meet nutritional goals. To measure changes in the cost of reaching international standards of diet quality, we introduce a new cost of diet diversity index based on the lowest-cost way to include at least five different food groups as defined by the widely used minimum dietary diversity for women (MDD-W) indicator and compare that to a Cost of Nutrient Adequacy indicator for the lowest-cost way to meet estimated average requirements of essential nutrients and dietary energy. We demonstrate application of both indexes using national average monthly prices from two very different sources: an agricultural market information system in Ghana (2009-14) and the data used for national consumer price indexes in Tanzania (2011-15). We find that the cost of diet diversity index for Ghana fluctuated seasonally and since mid-2010 rose about 10% per year faster than national inflation, due to rising relative prices for fruit, which also drove up the cost of nutrient adequacy. In Tanzania there were much smaller changes in total daily costs, but more adjustment in the mix of food groups used for the least-cost diet. These methods can show where and when nutritious diets are increasingly (un)affordable, and which nutritional criteria account for the change. These results are based on monthly national average prices, but the method is generalizable to other contexts for monitoring, evaluation, and assessment of changing food environments. JEL codes: I15, Q11, Q18.

Preferences for groundnut products among urban residents in Ghana.

BACKGROUND: The present study identifies factors influencing preferences for common groundnut products using information about product perceptions from residents in Ghana's cities collected in 2011. In Ghana, domestically produced groundnuts, processed into a variety of groundnut products, are a vital source of protein and other nutrients. RESULTS: Response summaries provide insights about the eating frequency of various products, whereas a bivariate ordered probit model identifies factors influencing preferences for groundnut paste and roasted groundnuts. Attributes such as taste, protein content and healthfulness are important for roasted groundnuts, whereas aroma, taste and protein content are associated with a preference for groundnut paste. Large households prefer paste, whereas the less educated and those from households with children prefer roasted groundnuts. Adding a child (4-12 years old) increases probability of 'liking very much' roasted groundnuts and an additional adult at home changes that probability regarding groundnut paste. College-educated consumers prefer groundnut paste less than those with less education. Consumers from Tamale and Takoradi prefer roasted groundnuts and groundnut paste more than Accra households. CONCLUSIONS: Taste and protein content are attributes of groundnut paste and roasted groundnuts preferred by consumers. Location is a significant factor shaping preference for roasted groundnuts and groundnut paste. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.