Food System Innovations
Based on the identification of key leverage points, this project will provide evidence on the dietary impact of demand-side and supply side innovations, and synergies and trade-offs concerning other food system outcomes such as sustainability. Consumers will not necessarily purchase healthier foods, and selected innovations (advertising, packaging, pricing) search for ways to stimulate demand for healthier foods. Supply side innovations will address the relative lack of production and processing of nutritious foods with partners. These may relate to inputs, postharvest handling, or market outlet frameworks.
These innovations will be evaluated on the influence on the diet through base- and endline dietary assessments, and analyzed in terms of their effectiveness, cost, and practical feasibility for addressing dietary gaps. Evaluations will be designed to learn about gendered and environmental impacts so innovations that would negatively affect either gender balance or the environment if scaled up would not be recommended.
Publications Food System Innovations
- Discussion paper: ​Changes in women's empowerment in the household, women's diet diversity, and their relationship against the background of COVID-19 in Southern Bangladesh (Els Lecoutere, Alan de Brauw, Marrit van den Berg - May 2021).
- Multidisciplinary framework 'Food system innovations for healthier diets in low and middle-income countries' (paper Alan de Brauw)
- Concerns for food safety, hygiene and affordability are the dominating factors for adolescents' food choices. These concerns, together with limited nutrition knowledge and preference for packaged foods, could make cheap, ultra-processed packaged foods more desirable.