IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/plo/pone00/0229439.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Reaching culturally acceptable and adequate diets at the lowest cost increment according to income level in Brazilian households

Author

Listed:
  • Eliseu Verly Jr
  • Nicole Darmon
  • Rosely Sichieri
  • Flavia Mori Sarti

Abstract

Objective: To identify food choices allowing the fulfillment of nutritionally adequate diets resembling actual food patterns at the lowest cost achievable for the Brazilian population, stratified by income level. Methods: Food consumption and prices were obtained from the Household Budget Survey (n = 55,970 households) and National Dietary Survey (n = 32,749 individuals). The sample was stratified into capitals of the states and further by income levels according to the official minimum wage (totaling 108 geographic-economic strata, or GES). Linear programming models were performed for each GES in order to find the lowest cost of diets that meet a set of nutritional constraints. In order to find realistic diets, constraints referring to preferences were introduced in the models allowing optimized food quantities to depart progressively from the current intake for each food and food group. The impact of meeting each target nutrient was assessed by performing models removing each nutrient at the time. Results: The observed and optimized diet costs were US$2.16 and US$2.58 per capita/day. The highest cost increment and the greatest food shifts were observed in the lowest income level. The nutrient adequacy was reached by mainly increasing fruits and vegetables, beans, fish and seafood, dairy, nuts, and eggs; and reducing red and processed meat, chicken, margarine and butter, cookies, cakes, sugar-sweetened beverages, and sauces. As the departure from the current intakes increase, the optimized healthy diet cost reduced. In the lowest income, the lowest cost increment was about US$ 0.10; in the higher income levels, it tended to be cheaper than the observed cost. Calcium was the most expensive nutrient to meet adequacy. Conclusion: Nutritionally adequate diets are possible but costlier than the observed.

Suggested Citation

  • Eliseu Verly Jr & Nicole Darmon & Rosely Sichieri & Flavia Mori Sarti, 2020. "Reaching culturally acceptable and adequate diets at the lowest cost increment according to income level in Brazilian households," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(3), pages 1-15, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0229439
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0229439
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0229439
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0229439&type=printable
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1371/journal.pone.0229439?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Matthieu Maillot & Florent Vieux & Fabien Delaere & Anne Lluch & Nicole Darmon, 2017. "Dietary changes needed to reach nutritional adequacy without increasing diet cost according to income: An analysis among French adults," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(3), pages 1-20, March.
    2. Nicole Darmon & Adam Drewnowski, 2015. "Contribution of food prices and diet cost to socioeconomic disparities in diet quality and health: a systematic review and analysis," Post-Print hal-01774670, HAL.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Aline Veroneze de Mello & Flavia Mori Sarti & Marilisa Berti de Azevedo Barros & Moises Goldbaum & Chester Luiz Galvão Cesar & Regina Mara Fisberg, 2022. "Differences in Cost-Effectiveness of Adherence to Nutritional Recommendations: Why, Where, and What?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-16, December.
    2. I. D. Brouwer & M. J. Liere & A. Brauw & P. Dominguez-Salas & A. Herforth & G. Kennedy & C. Lachat & E. B. Omosa & E. F. Talsma & S. Vandevijvere & J. Fanzo & M. Ruel, 2021. "Reverse thinking: taking a healthy diet perspective towards food systems transformations," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 13(6), pages 1497-1523, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Schneider, Kate R., 2022. "Nationally representative estimates of the cost of adequate diets, nutrient level drivers, and policy options for households in rural Malawi," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    2. Bai, Yan & Alemu, Robel & Block, Steven A. & Headey, Derek & Masters, William A., 2021. "Cost and affordability of nutritious diets at retail prices: Evidence from 177 countries," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    3. Bai, Yan & Costlow, Leah & Ebel, Alissa & Laves, Sarah & Ueda, Yurika & Volin, Natalie & Zamek, Maya & Herforth, Anna & Masters, William A., 2021. "Review: Retail consumer price data reveal gaps and opportunities to monitor food systems for nutrition," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 104(C).
    4. Rose, Chelsea M. & Gupta, Shilpi & Buszkiewicz, James & Ko, Linda K. & Mou, Jin & Cook, Andrea & Moudon, Anne Vernez & Aggarwal, Anju & Drewnowski, Adam, 2020. "Small increments in diet cost can improve compliance with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 266(C).
    5. Soumya Gupta & Payal Seth & Mathew Abraham & Prabhu Pingali, 2022. "COVID-19 and women's nutrition security: panel data evidence from rural India," Economia Politica: Journal of Analytical and Institutional Economics, Springer;Fondazione Edison, vol. 39(1), pages 157-184, April.
    6. Danielle L. Nunnery & Jigna M. Dharod, 2017. "Potential determinants of food security among refugees in the U.S.: an examination of pre- and post- resettlement factors," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 9(1), pages 163-179, February.
    7. Lebihan, Laetitia & Mao Takongmo, Charles-Olivier, 2019. "Unconditional cash transfers and parental obesity," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 224(C), pages 116-126.
    8. Kenny, Tiff-Annie & Fillion, Myriam & MacLean, Jullian & Wesche, Sonia D. & Chan, Hing Man, 2018. "Calories are cheap, nutrients are expensive – The challenge of healthy living in Arctic communities," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 39-54.
    9. Roberto Martinez-Lacoba & Isabel Pardo-Garcia & Elisa Amo-Saus & Francisco Escribano-Sotos, 2020. "Social determinants of food group consumption based on Mediterranean diet pyramid: A cross-sectional study of university students," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(1), pages 1-22, January.
    10. Corinna May Walsh & Michelle Shannon Fouché & Mariette Nel & Frederik Booysen, 2020. "The Impact of a Household Food Garden Intervention on Food Security in Lesotho," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(22), pages 1-13, November.
    11. Rahmatollah Beheshti & Jessica C Jones-Smith & Takeru Igusa, 2017. "Taking dietary habits into account: A computational method for modeling food choices that goes beyond price," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(5), pages 1-13, May.
    12. Yicong Li & Qiran Zhao & Tianchang Zhai & Wei Si, 2023. "Structural transition of protein intake in urban China: Stage characteristics and driving forces," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 39(S1), pages 1559-1577, December.
    13. Einhorn, Laura, 2020. "Normative social influence on meat consumption," MPIfG Discussion Paper 20/1, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies.
    14. Anthony Fardet & Edmond Rock, 2020. "Ultra-Processed Foods and Food System Sustainability: What Are the Links?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-26, August.
    15. Alberto Bertossi & Stefania Troiano & Francesco Marangon, 2023. "Financing for sustainable food systems: The role of the vending sector," Economia agro-alimentare, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 25(2), pages 115-134.
    16. Otilia Vanessa Cordero-Ahiman & Jorge Leonardo Vanegas & Cecilia Alexandra Fernández-Lucero & Daniela Fernanda Torres-Torres & Víctor Dante Ayaviri-Nina & Gabith Miriam Quispe-Fernández, 2022. "Responsible Marketing in the Traffic Light Labeling of Food Products in Ecuador: Perceptions of Cuenca Consumers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-17, March.
    17. Erwan Gavelle & Pascal Leroy & Marjorie Perrimon & Jean-François Huneau & Véronique Sirot & Caroline Orset & Hélène Fouillet & Louis-Georges Soler & François Mariotti, 2020. "Modeled gradual changes in protein intake to increase nutrient adequacy lead to greater sustainability when systematically targeting an increase in the share of plant protein," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 161(1), pages 129-149, July.
    18. Hudak, Katelin M. & Racine, Elizabeth F., 2021. "Do additional SNAP benefits matter for child weight?: Evidence from the 2009 benefit increase," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 41(C).
    19. May A Beydoun & Marie T Fanelli-Kuczmarski & Jennifer Poti & Allyssa Allen & Hind A Beydoun & Michele K Evans & Alan B Zonderman, 2018. "Longitudinal change in the diet's monetary value is associated with its change in quality and micronutrient adequacy among urban adults," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(10), pages 1-21, October.
    20. Penne, Tess & Goedemé, Tim, 2021. "Can low-income households afford a healthy diet? Insufficient income as a driver of food insecurity in Europe," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0229439. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: plosone (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.