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Markets for Nutrition: What Role for Business?

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  • John Humphrey
  • Ewan Robinson

Abstract

Policymakers are increasingly seeking to use food systems to help reduce rates of chronic undernutrition and to use markets to deliver nutrient‐rich foods to vulnerable populations. This article examines how this might be achieved, drawing lessons from three intervention types: ready‐to‐use therapeutic foods (RUTFs), mandatory fortification and voluntarily fortified products. We find that a common set of constraints tends to inhibit markets from delivering nutrition and makes it difficult to reach populations at the ‘bottom of the pyramid’. Overcoming these constraints requires a shift from working at the level of individual businesses to that of market and food systems. It also suggests a need for renewed focus on the effectiveness of products in reaching key groups, on the informal markets that serve the poor and on the inherent complexity of market systems. These findings suggest that food and nutrition policies and partnerships should be based on principles of experimentation and adaptive learning.

Suggested Citation

  • John Humphrey & Ewan Robinson, 2015. "Markets for Nutrition: What Role for Business?," IDS Bulletin, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 46(3), pages 59-69, May.
  • Handle: RePEc:wly:idsxxx:v:46:y:2015:i:3:p:59-69
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1111/1759-5436.12144
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    Cited by:

    1. McMillan, Kayla & Corr, Seanna & Manko, Karli & Fereno, Christopher & Feryo, Matthew & Shah, Neena & Caffrey, Rachel & Herz, Lori, 2022. "Acceptability of nutritious children’s foods developed for markets in Sierra Leone," African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development (AJFAND), African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development (AJFAND), vol. 22(07).
    2. Spencer Henson & Jessica Agnew, 2021. "Are market‐based solutions a viable strategy for addressing micronutrient deficiency? Lessons from case studies in sub‐Saharan Africa and South Asia," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 39(2), pages 233-249, March.
    3. Bridget O'Laughlin & C. Sathyamala, 2016. "Forum 2016," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 47(4), pages 818-839, July.
    4. Tarek Ben Hassen & Hamid El Bilali & Mohammed Al-Maadeed, 2020. "Agri-Food Markets in Qatar: Drivers, Trends, and Policy Responses," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-31, May.
    5. Mywish K. Maredia & Maria Porter & Eduardo Nakasone & David L. Ortega & Vincenzina Caputo, 2024. "Does increasing the availability of a nutritious food produced by a small‐ and medium‐sized enterprise increase its consumption? Evidence from a field experiment in Kenya," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 46(2), pages 414-434, June.
    6. Valeria Borsellino & Emanuele Schimmenti & Hamid El Bilali, 2020. "Agri-Food Markets towards Sustainable Patterns," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-35, March.

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