Food Security Measurements and Indicators

Cost of Nutritious Food

Priorities to reduce the cost of nutritious foods and ensure affordability of healthy diets • Reorientation of agricultural priorities towards more nutrition-sensitive food and agricultural production. • Policy decisions and investments to raise productivity and encourage diversification in food production • Eliminate policies that penalize food and agricultural production (through direct or indirect taxation). • Reduce taxation of nutritious foods. • Investment in irrigation infrastructure • Investment in R&D

What is driving the cost of nutritious food? • Low productivity • Insufficient diversification to nutritious foods • Pre-harvest and post-harvest losses • Quality and efficiency of the road and transportation network • Lack of food and agricultural policies • Trade policies affect the cost and affordability of healthy diets • Globalization has increased levels of food sold through supermarkets: “supermarket revolution”.

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