Diet Cost Research Articles

Food Costs of a Low-Fat Vegan Diet vs a Mediterranean Diet

This ad hoc secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial compares the food costs in the United States of a low-fat vegan diet and a Mediterranean diet.

Diet Impact Assessment model: an interactive tool for analysing the health, environmental and affordability implications of diets

Abstract Global diets, environmental factors, and health require a holistic approach in public health discourse that takes into account the well-being of both humans and planetary health. Modeling tools have demonstrated being useful to estimate priorities and differences between countries and gain insight into future paths that depend on predetermined priorities. Modeling efforts that include environmental goals indicate the possibility of reducing environmental impacts while both improving food quality and overall health outcomes, especially in high-income settings. The aforementioned forecasts highlight the effectiveness of giving priority to dietary recommendations that lead to better, balanced patterns as the most effective approach to reducing mortality risks and environmental implications. The presentation will introduce the Diet Impact Assessment (DIA) model - a new interactive modelling tool for analysing the health, environmental and affordability implications of diets and dietary change. The tool enables countries to analyse user-specific scenarios of dietary change, and to estimate the health, environmental and cost burden of each scenario in terms of diet costs, avoidable deaths, changes in resource use and compatibility with global environmental targets, including those associated with food-related greenhouse gas emissions, land use, water use and fertilizer application. The tool was commissioned by the WHO Regional Office for Europe and is based on analytical frameworks developed by Marco Springmann and colleagues.

Modelling the cost differential between current and healthy diets according to household education level in Belgium

This study aims to estimate the cost differential between current and healthy diets, overall and by household education level. Data from the 2014–2015 Belgian National Food Consumption Survey and food prices from the 2014 GfK ConsumerScan panel were linked. The DIETCOST programme was used to model healthy, isocaloric healthy and current diets. For the reference household, the average daily diet cost was 20.1€ (95%CI: 19.9–20.4) for current diets, 20.9€ (95%CI: 20.6–21.2) for healthy isocaloric diets (+3.9% vs. the current diets) and 22.5€ (95%CI: 22.3–22.8) for healthy diets (+12.0%). In low-educated households, the cost of current and of healthy isocaloric diets was similar (19.2€ (95%CI: 19.0–19.5) vs. 19.3€ (95%CI: 19.0–19.6)), whereas in high-educated households, the cost of healthy isocaloric diets (22.0€; 95%CI: 21.8–22.3) was higher than the cost of current diets (21.2€; 95%CI: 20.9–21.4)). Though needing validation, this finding is valuable for interventions aimed at improving dietary habits in disadvantaged populations.

Reduced red and processed meat consumption is associated with lower diet costs in US households: a national analysis of protein substitutions.

To examine the association between red and processed meat consumption and total food expenditures in US households and explore whether households could reduce food costs by substituting these meats with other protein sources such as poultry, seafood, eggs and plant proteins. Cross-sectional study using data from the National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey (FoodAPS). Using adult male equivalents (AME) for standardisation, we categorised red and processed meat purchases into quintiles. We used generalised linear models to explore the association between red or processed meat consumption and food expenditures and the cost effect of substituting meat with other proteins. United States. Data from 4739 households with valid acquisition information from FoodAPS, a stratified multistage probability sample of US households. Higher red and processed meat consumption were both significantly associated with higher total weekly food expenditures, particularly among households with low income. Substituting red or processed meat with poultry, eggs or plant proteins did not significantly affect overall food expenditures, whereas replacing meat with seafood, especially varieties high in n-3 fatty acids, led to increased costs. Reducing red and processed meat consumption could offer savings for households, particularly those with low income. Although substitutions with seafood high in n-3 could increase expenses, alternative protein sources like poultry and plant proteins may serve as cost-neutral replacements. Public health strategies should emphasise dietary shifts' economic, health and environmental benefits and aim to make nutritious yet affordable protein sources more accessible.

Mediterranean Diet Adherence in Italian Children: How much do Demographic Factors and Socio-Economic Status Matter?

. This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the degree of children's adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (MD), to estimate the weekly cost of MD, and to assess the role of food cost and demographic/socio-economic factors as potential barriers to comply with a healthy dietary model. . Data collection was conducted through an online questionnaire sent to parents of children (6-11 years old) living in Italy. This survey allowed the collection of demographic/socio-economic information about the family and their dietary habits. Adherence to the MD in children was assessed through the KIDMED index. The weekly diet cost was calculated based on the food prices of two Italian supermarket chains. Descriptive statistics and inferential tests were run to evaluate the sample's characteristics and correlations between diet cost, socio-demographics, and adherence to MD. . Data highlighted that 31.5% of the children achieved high compliance with the MD, whereas 22.2% showed low adherence. The average diet cost increased significantly with the increasing level of adherence to the MD (Spearman's Rho = 0.322, p = 0.018). Moreover, results showed that a high parent educational level was positively associated with the KIDMED score (Spearman's Rho = 0.323, p = 0.017). No significant correlations were found between dietary cost and other characteristics such as economic status and house type. . Despite the small sample size, our results suggest that nutrition education interventions targeted at children and their parents/caregivers might favour more conscious dietary choices, which in turn will help reduce the differences in diet quality caused by the educational level gaps existing in families.

Using Less Processed Food to Mimic a Standard American Diet Does Not Improve Nutrient Value and May Result in a Shorter Shelf Life at a Higher Financial Cost

BackgroundThe “clean eating” trend suggests that consuming fewer processed foods is important for healthy diets. Yet, a diet of mostly ultra-processed foods (UPFs) can meet recommendations from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Whether a diet comprised mostly of simple ingredient foods can provide a low-quality diet remains unexplored. ObjectivesThe objective of this study was to compare the diet quality, shelf stability, and cost of 2 similar nutrient-poor menus, one containing primarily UPFs and the other containing less-processed foods (LPW), as defined by the Nova classification system. MethodsA “Western” menu using LPW was developed to match the meals and recipes of a menu that contained more-processed foods (MPW). Processing level was determined using the Nova classification system. Final menus were assessed for nutrient quality and Healthy Eating Index (HEI) score. Shelf stability of foods/ingredients on both menus was determined from food storage guidance manuals. The condition of each food item when purchased (room temperature, frozen, refrigerated) was used to estimate the number of days until expiration. Food costs were determined from prices at grocery chains in Fall 2023. ResultsThe LPW had similar nutrient density and diet quality scores to the MPW (HEI scores of 44 and 43, respectively). The LPW included 20% energy (kcal) from UPFs, whereas the MPW included 67% energy from UPFs. Relative percentages of shelf-stable, frozen, and refrigerated foods were similar. Using the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis method, median time to expiration of the LPW menu items was 35 d compared with 120 d for the MPW items. The “per person” cost reflecting only the amount of the food used in the menu was $15.91/d for the LPW and $9.85/d for the MPW. ConclusionsLess-processed menus can have comparable diet quality with more-processed menus although being more costly and less shelf stable.

Effects of chickpea grain feeding on the growth and carcass features of growing lambs.

An investigation was conducted to find out how diet formulation of chickpea grains (CHPE) rather than soybean meal and barely grain affected the performance, blood metabolites, carcass, and meat quality features of Awassi lambs. Thirty lambs, with an average age of 73 ± 0.85 days and an initial body weight of 21.0 ± 1.29kg, were randomly assigned into one of three diets, with 10 lambs per treatment diet. The diets were designed to replace a portion of the barley grain and soybean meal and included no CHPE (CON), 7.5% CHPE (CHPE7.5), and 15% CHPE (CHPE15). Lambs were individually housed, fed every day, and weighed every two weeks to measure performance characteristics over the 60-day study period. Four lambs per treatment were chosen at random on day 42 to participate in an N balance study and assess diet digestibility. All lambs were slaughtered at the termination of the trial period to measure the features of the carcass characteristics and meat quality. As the amount of CHPE included in the diets increased, the cost of diets reduced. As the amount of CHPE in the diets increased, so did the intake of ether extract (EE). The CON group's cost per kilogram of increase was higher (P = 0.017) than that of the CHPE7.5 and CHEP15 groups. The digestibility of EE was higher (P = 0.024) in the CHPE15 diet as opposed to the CHPE7.5 and CON diets. The various treatments did not impact blood metabolites, carcass features, or meat quality. Therefore, the present study suggested that chickpeas might be added to the diets of finishing lambs up to 15% of dry matter.

Measuring food access using the Cost of a Healthy Diet (CoHD): Insights from retail prices worldwide

Measuring food access using the Cost of a Healthy Diet (CoHD): Insights from retail prices worldwide

Adherence to the EAT-Lancet index is associated with lower diet costs in the Mexican population

SummaryBackgroundPoor diet quality contributes to morbidity and mortality and affects environmental sustainability. The EAT-Lancet reference diet offers a healthy and sustainable solution. This study aimed to estimate the association between diet cost and dietary quality, measured with an EAT-Lancet Index.MethodsAn EAT-Lancet index was adapted to assess adherence to this dietary pattern from 24-h recalls data from the 2012 and 2016 Mexican National Health and Nutrition Surveys (n = 14,242). Prices were obtained from the Consumer Price Index. We dichotomized cost at the median (into low- and high-cost) and compared the EAT-Lancet index scores. We also used multivariate linear regression models to explore the association between diet cost and diet quality.ResultsIndividuals consuming a low-cost diet had a higher EAT-Lancet score than those consuming a high-cost diet (20.3 vs. 19.4 from a possible scale of 0 to 42; p < 0.001) due to a lower intake of beef and lamb, pork, poultry, dairy, and added sugars. We found that for each one-point increase in the EAT-Lancet score, there was an average decrease of MXN$0.4 in the diet cost (p < 0.001). This association was only significant among low- and middle-SES individuals.ConclusionsContrary to evidence from high-income countries, this study shows that in Mexico, adhering to the EAT-Lancet reference diet is associated with lower dietar costs, particularly in lower SES groups. These findings suggest the potential for broader implementation of healthier diets without increasing the financial burden.

‘The national health insurance policy provides little to no benefit to young persons living with type 1 diabetes (T1D)’: a qualitative study of T1D management cost-burden in Southern Ghana

BackgroundType 1 diabetes (T1D) management exerts a considerable financial burden on patients, caregivers, and developing nations at large. In Ghana, a key governments effort to attenuate the financial burden of T1D on patients was to fashion safety-net mechanisms through financial risk pooling/sharing known as the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). However, there is limited research on patients and caregivers’ experiences with the cost of managing T1D within the NHIS in Ghana.ObjectiveThis study explored the cost of T1D management, and the impact of the NHIS policy on mitigating costs of care.MethodsA semi-structured interview guide was developed to collect qualitative data from 28 young people living with T1D (PLWD), 12 caregivers, 6 healthcare providers, and other stakeholders in Western, Central and the Greater Accra regions. Multiple data collection techniques including mystery client and in-depth interviews were used to collect data. Thematic content analysis was performed with QSR NVivo 14.ResultsFive key domains/themes which are: cost of T1D management supplies; cost of clinical care; cost of transportation; cost of diet; and NHIS were identified. The daily cost of blood glucose testing and insulin injection per day was between GHC 5–7 (US$ 0.6 to 1.0). The NHIS did not cover supplies such as strips, glucometers, HbA1c tests, and periodic medical tests. Even for those cost which were covered by the NHIS (mainly pre-mixed insulin), marked government delays in funds reimbursement to accredited NHIS facilities compelled providers to push the financial obligation onto patients and caregivers. Such cost obligations were fulfilled through out-of-pocket top-up or full payment of insulin of about GHC 15–25 (US$ 2–4), and GHC 25–50 (US$4–8) depending on the region and place of residence.ConclusionThe cost of managing T1D was a burden for patients and their caregivers. There was a commodification of life-saving insulin on the Ghanaian market, and the NHIS did not function well to ease the cost-burden of T1D management on patients and caregivers. The findings call for the need to scale up NHIS services to include simple supplies, particularly test strips, and always ensure the availability of life-saving insulin in healthcare facilities.

43 Approaches for improving nitrogen utilization efficiency and environmental sustainability of pork production systems

Abstract Nitrogen (N) is an essential element for life, but due to its inefficient utilization, N waste and emissions generated have exceeded the planetary boundaries and ability of the Earth to effectively overcome these environmentally detrimental effects. Global food animal production contributes 29 to 34% of total global N emissions, with pork supply chains contributing about 16% of these emissions. Life cycle N use efficiency (NUE) of U.S. pork production is only about 56%, which is similar to broiler (55%) and egg (50%) production, but greater than beef (10%) and milk (31%) production. However, only about 10 to 44% of dietary N is converted into edible pork products. While genetic improvement has increased NUE associated with improved lean growth rate, improvement in litter size has led to an increased proportion of low-birth-weight pigs that have reduced NUE. Although metabolic modifiers including porcine somatotropin, ractopamine, and immunocastration improve NUE, they are not feasible or acceptable to consumers in many countries. Separate sex feeding and reducing market weight can also improve NUE. Ultimately feeding program design and implementation have the greatest potential to improve NUE because feed is associated with 70% of N emissions in pork production systems. Multi-objective feed formulation using Life Cycle Assessment environmental impact data of feed ingredients, precision feed formulation and feeding practices to overcome variability in digestible nutrient content of feed ingredients and nutritional requirements of pigs fed in groups, feed processing to enhance energy and nutrient digestibility, and minimizing feed wastage offer the greatest opportunity to improve NUE and environmental sustainability. There are substantial differences in greenhouse gas emissions and embedded water and land use associated with growing-finishing feeding programs depending on the dietary proportions of corn, soybean meal, distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), and crystalline amino acids among U.S. geographic regions. Furthermore, addition of thermally processed supermarket food waste to corn-soybean meal (CSBM) diets can significantly reduce environmental impacts and diet cost without compromising growth performance and carcass composition compared with current commercial feeding programs. Although growing-finishing feeding programs using CSBM diets with minimal crystalline amino acids result in greater N intake, N retained, and urinary N excretion compared with feeding low protein, crystalline amino acid supplemented (LP) diets, and diets containing 30% DDGS, growth performance and carcass composition are optimized and impacts on climate change, marine and freshwater eutrophication, and fossil resource are reduced by feeding CSBM diets compared with feeding LP or DDGS diets. Sourcing and using feed ingredients with reduced environmental impact metrics along with precision diet formulation and feeding practices to ensure “getting the right amount of energy and nutrients in the right feed fed to the right pigs at the right time” can improve NUE and environmental sustainability of pork production systems.

194 Evaluation of a method to optimize diets of individual dairy cows to maximize income over feed cost

Abstract Recent optimization methods have demonstrated the potential to maximize marginal profits in beef (Marques et al., 2020) and dairy (Campos et al., 2023) by optimizing diet formulation. These methods present an opportunity to explore how diets could be optimized for individual dairy cows, such as in a closed-loop precision feeding system. Therefore, our objectives were to 1) compare individual income over feed costs (IOFC), calculated with observed dry matter intake (DMI), milk yield (MY), milk protein and milk fat, with a predicted IOFC for the same diet and cows using the NASEM (2021) model, and 2) optimize the inclusion rate of ingredients in the diet to maximize predicted IOFC. Previously, 20 multiparous (lactation 2 through 4) and 9 primiparous cows, ranging from 22 to 472 d in milk (DIM), were housed in a free-stall pen at the Ontario Dairy Research Centre (Canada) equipped with sensors to record DMI, body weight (BW; walk-over-weight) and body condition score (BCS; DeLavel 3D camera), in addition to daily MY, weekly milk component tests, and 4 X/d respiratory gas exchange measurements (GreenFeed, C-Lock Inc, USA) for estimation of daily energy flows (Kedzierski, 2020). Weekly means for each cow were used to evaluate IOFC in this study (n = 116). Each IOFC was calculated as milk revenue minus total feed cost. Milk revenue was calculated from milk fat, protein and other solids, consistent with pricing on Canadian dairy farms. The observed IOFC was calculated using the observed MY, milk components and DMI, and the same diet formulation and costs for all cows, whereas the predicted IOFC estimated these values using the NASEM (2021) model with all available observed animal inputs (e.g., BW, BCS, DIM). However, the observed DMI and MY had to be provided initially for the model, as the DMI prediction equation requires a target MY, but the prediction of MY requires DMI. Final predicted DMI and MY values were used in the calculation of predicted IOFC. The differential evolution algorithm from the ‘SciPy’ package (v 1.11.4) in python (v 3.12.0) was used to maximize IOFC by adjusting the inclusion of wheat straw, alfalfa silage, corn silage and high moisture corn grain, while fixing minerals to their original proportions. Overall, the concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) indicated moderate agreement (0.62) between the predicted IOFC and observed IOFC and good agreement (0.99) between the predicted IOFC and the optimized IOFC, suggesting the optimization method was able to select diets to meet a similar objective. Results indicate that a strategy is needed to minimize the residual error between predicted and observed values for individual cows, such as algebraic reparameterization of the NASEM model, before using an optimization method to automatically formulate diets.

Cost of a Healthy Diet: A Population-Representative Comparison of 3 Diet Cost Methods in Canada

BackgroundDifferent food price sources and dietary assessment tools may impact the estimation of diet costs and hamper our understanding of the relationship between diet costs and dietary intakes. ObjectivesWe aimed to investigate the effect of 3 diet cost derivation methods, with increasing numbers of food prices and geographic specificity, holding consistent the dietary assessment tool, on the estimation of diet costs overall and by food group. MethodsWe matched 24-h dietary recall data from the 2015 Canadian Community Health Survey-Nutrition (CCHS-N) to food price data from 3 Canadian Consumer Price Index (CPI) food price lists; national short list, national long list, and provincial long list. We compared the daily ($/day) and energy-adjusted ($/2000 kcal) diet costs overall and by food groups for the overall population (4+), children (4–18), and adults (19+). ResultsThe proportion of dietary intakes (grams) that were covered by CPI prices significantly increased from the national short list to the national long list but did not significantly differ from the national long list to the provincial long list. The national short list resulted in the highest daily and energy-adjusted diet costs overall. No difference in diet costs was noted between the national and provincial long lists. Diet costs for 4 food groups—additions, sweets, fruits, and vegetables, which were poorly covered by the national short list—significantly differed using the national and provincial long lists. All 3 diet cost methods were significantly correlated with energy intakes; however, a strong/very strong correlation was detected for children, and a weak/moderate correlation for adults. ConclusionsThe choice of food price data may introduce bias in the diet cost estimate, as well as limiting our understanding of how individuals allocate their diet costs. Refinement of diet cost estimation methodology and measures can strengthen future studies of how consumers allocate their purchases to their diets.

Evaluating Health Canada’s Proposed Front-of-Pack Labelling Policy: Burden of Healthcare Use Attributed to Health Canada’s Proposed Front-of-Pack Labelling Policy

The economic burden of disease due to consumption of poor diet costs billions of dollars annually to the Canadian healthcare system. This project is in response to the growing interest in the use of nutrient profiling systems on front-of-package (FOP) nutrition labels in Canada. There is a high demand for simplified healthy eating messaging. Health Canada announced improving food environments is a priority in the Healthy Eating Strategy and will implement the mandatory FOP label policy in 2026. Two Ontario-based studies examined the impacts of health behaviors (smoking, alcohol consumption, poor diet and physical inactivity) attributed to hospital bed-days and costs. They found 36% of hospital use was attributable to all health behaviours resulting in 900,000 bed-days annually. Between 2004-2013, 22% of healthcare costs totalling $89.4 billion were attributable to the four health behaviours. These are likely underestimates as diet was measured based on fruit/vegetables frequency. The objective is to evaluate Health Canada’s Proposed FOP policy on hospital bed-days. Detailed dietary data from the nationally representative cross-sectional national survey data Canadian Community Heath Survey-Nutrition 2004 linked to Discharge Abstract Database (2004-14) for hospital use will be used for analysis. Data-driven methodology will be employed and development of multivariable risk models using zero-inflated negative binomial regression with multiple exposure groups to test a dose-response. Results are undergoing, will be ready September 2024. This is the first study to analyze Health Canada’s proposed FOP policy related to economic outcomes. These findings will provide evidence-based recommendations to policymakers on nutrition policy.

Analyzing diet cost and affordability: A dataset from Fill the Nutrient Gap analyses (2015–2021)

Between 2015 and 2021, the World Food Programme (WFP) carried out “Fill the Nutrient Gap” (FNG) analyses in 37 countries. Apart from a few early FNG analyses, each analysis calculated the cost of energy-sufficient diets, staple-adjusted nutrient-adequate diets, and the non-affordability of the latter at the subnational level during a specific period decided by in-country stakeholders and data availability. In 2021–2022, all FNG output data were compiled into one dataset, which is provided as an online supplement to this paper. Here, we describe the parameters and data used in these FNG analyses and the process for standardizing diet costs for time (to January 2020) and in currency (PPP USD and MER USD). The objective of this paper was to provide the dataset utilized in the other papers in this GFS special issue on diet cost and affordability analyses conducted as part of FNG analyses by WFP and partners, and to provide a description of the considerations and methods employed for compiling this dataset.

Effects of Substituting Corn Meal for Corn Cob Meal on Diets Acceptability, Growth Response and Cost of Diets Fed to Catfish (Clarias Gariepinus)

A seventy -day feeding trial was conducted to assess the replacement value of corn cob meal as a dietary replacement for corn meal in diets of Clarias gariepinus. The corn cob was treated with 2% NaOH. The treatment reduced the fibre and increased the protein contents of the corn cob. Six isonitrogenous (40% crude protein) diets were formulated and corn cob meal was included in the diets at 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50% and 100% inclusion levels designated as diets A, B, C, D, E, F, and G respectively, and diet H (commercial Coppens fish feed). The acceptability of the diets was studied using the time to strike the pellets and the acceptability index. The growth response and cost of diets were estimated. Results indicated that substituting corn meal with corn cob meal in diets fed to C. gariepinus juveniles increased the time taken by fish to strike dietary pellets. The higher the proportion of corn cob meal in the diet, the lower the acceptability of the diet to the fish. The least acceptable diet was diet G. The fish fed diet H recorded better weight gains and specific growth rate followed by the control diet and diet C respectively. There were significant differences between the control diets and the experimental diets (P &lt; 0.05). The cost-benefit analysis showed that catfishes fed the control diets had a comparatively lower cost of diet per unit weight gain than the fish fed the corn cob-based diets. This was closely followed by diet C. This study demonstrated that corn cob meal can be successfully used to replace corn meal in the diets of Clarias gariepinus at inclusion levels of up to 30% but it is efficacious and cost-effective at a 20% inclusion level.

Diet affordability: a key dimension in the assessment of sustainable food systems and healthy diets.

A promulgated global shift toward a plant-based diet is largely in response to a perceived negative environmental impact of animal food production, but the nutritional adequacy and economic implications of plant-sourced sustainable healthy dietary patterns need to be considered. This paper reviews recent modeling studies using Linear Programming to determine the respective roles of animal- and plant-sourced foods in developing a least-cost diet in the United States and New Zealand. In both economies, least-cost diets were found to include animal-based foods, such as milk, eggs, fish, and seafood, to meet the energy and nutrient requirements of healthy adults at the lowest retail cost. To model a solely plant-based least-cost diet, the prevailing costs of all animal-sourced foods had to be increased by 1.1 to 11.5 times their original retail prices. This led to the inclusion of fortified plant-based foods, such as fortified soymilk, and a plant-based diet that was considerably (34-45%) more costly. The first-limiting essential nutrients were mostly the vitamins and minerals, with special focus on pantothenic acid, zinc, and vitamin B-12, when transitioning from an animal- and plant-containing least-cost diet to a plant-only based least-cost diet. Modeled least-cost diets based on contemporary food costs include animal-sourced foods, at least for developed high-income US and NZ food economies, and potentially for developing low- and middle-income countries, such as Indonesia. Modeling of least-cost diets that consist exclusively of plant-based foods is feasible, but at a higher daily diet cost, and these diets are often close to limiting for several key nutrients. Diet affordability, as a key dimension of sustainable healthy diets, and the respective economic roles of animal- and plant-sourced foods need to be considered.

What does it take to revolutionize Chinese diets: evidence from a choice experiment on urban Chinese consumers

PurposeThe purpose is to understand the factors affecting Chinese diet selections and propose strategies for revolutionizing Chinese diets toward healthy ones.Design/methodology/approachThis study implemented an online discrete choice experiment to identify the factors affecting diet selections among urban Chinese consumers. Four different diet patterns were used to label each of the product alternatives in the experiment, which varied in taste and cost. Specifically, implying the healthiness and sustainability of a diet, the diet alternatives included the average diet, the Chinese Food Guide Pagoda diet, the EAT-Lancet diet and the Flexitarian diet. Using consumer data from six provincial capital cities, we used random parameter logit models to estimate their preferences.FindingsDiet type and diet cost were found to be more important in urban Chinese consumers' diet selections than the ability to customize taste. The average diet, although not healthy and sustainable, was preferred most by respondents, signaling the challenges of shifting the consumer diet in China. Increasing the cost of the average diet can significantly promote sustainable healthy diet choices among urban Chinese residents. In other words, improving the affordability of sustainable healthy diets would have the potential to fuel the diet revolution in China.Originality/valueInstead of choices of a single food item, this paper focused on the individual selection of a diet, where different food products can act as substitutes or as complements for one another. We also proposed a way to assess individual preferences and valuations for several different diets.

Mexican national dietary guidelines promote less costly and environmentally sustainable diets.

The 2023 Mexican Healthy and Sustainable Dietary Guidelines (HSDG 2023) were developed to include all dimensions of sustainability. Here we compare the environmental impact and cost of diets based on the HSDG 2023, current diets and the Mexican-adapted EAT healthy reference diet. Diets following HSDG 2023 are 21% less expensive, require 30% less land to be produced and have 34% less carbon emissions than current diets-particularly in Mexico City and other urban areas with higher prevalence of Westernized diets. This is driven by reduced animal-source food, especially red meat, and ultra-processed foods. In south-rural areas, the water footprint and cost of diets following HSDG 2023 were higher than those of current diets owing to increased intake of nuts, fruits and vegetables not offset by lower meat consumption (which is already close to recommendations). Diet environmental impact and cost could be further reduced with the Mexican-adapted EAT healthy reference diet compared with the HSDG 2023.

Monitoring the Cost and Affordability of a Healthy Diet within Countries: Building Systems in Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Nigeria, Pakistan, Tanzania, and Viet Nam

BackgroundGovernments around the world collect food price data on a frequent basis, often monthly, for the purpose of monitoring inflation. These routine economic data can be used with a nutrition-sensitive lens for understanding economic access to a healthy diet. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has adopted the cost and affordability of a healthy diet (CoAHD) for annual tracking alongside other food security indicators. This indicator is relevant in many countries for informed decision-making and accountability toward Food Systems Summit pathways. National governments may wish to include this indicator in their own monitoring systems, using existing subnational price and income data. ObjectivesWe describe emerging systems in several countries for monitoring CoAHD and analytical tools that facilitate the calculation of CoAHD. We discuss reasons why the indicator may differ when calculated using subnational data compared with the global monitoring system and how to interpret differences. MethodsBetween June 2016 and February 2024, 19 workshops were held in 7 countries (Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Nigeria, Pakistan, Tanzania, and Viet Nam), where stakeholder discussions covered sources of food price data, institutions involved, policy uses, and direct training in calculation of CoAHD. Food price data collected by national organizations were used to calculate CoAHD in partnership with government agencies. ResultsCalculating CoAHD using subnational data uses the same methods across settings, but the mechanisms for monitoring and dissemination are different in each country, illustrating heterogeneity in how the metric can most effectively be incorporated within existing structures. Results from national and global monitoring systems have expected differences based on data sources, healthy diet standards, and affordability standards. ConclusionsCoAHD can be calculated with existing data and resources, facilitated by new software tools and user tutorials. In the future, it can be further streamlined, leveraging technical assistance from global institutions and aligning national and global monitoring systems.