Improving Infant Nutrition through the Market: Experimental Evidence in Ghana

Abstract

We study the impact of introduction of a new complementary food product for infants into the market on infants’ nutritional status. We conduct experimental sales of the product, Koko-plus, with randomly selected mother-infant pairs every week for half a year in Ghana. We find that the introduction of Koko-plus into the market significantly increases children’s weight. However, the effect is heterogeneous: it is smaller among children whose baseline weight is lower. We investigate the mechanisms underlying the heterogeneity and find that it is associated with access to safe drinking water. If mothers give their children safe drinking water, the sale of Koko-plus significantly increases their children’s weight regardless of their baseline nutrition status. The results imply that the complementary food market works for improving infant nutrition but good sanitary environment is a necessary condition for it.