The Impact of High Food Prices on Maternal and Child Nutrition
Food prices have surged in the last two
years wiping out global gains in poverty and hunger reduction achieved
over the last two decades. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
index of food prices rose by 9% in 2006, 24% in 2007 and has surged by
51% in the last 12 months. FAO forecasts that the world will spend US$1,035
billion on food imports in 2008, US$215 billion more than in 2007. This
will severely strain the budgets of low-income food-deficit countries (LIFDCs)
that will see their import bills soar by more than 40% this year.
The food price crisis is likely to have
pushed at least 100 million people back into poverty in 2008 and erase
at least four years of progress towards the Millennium Development Goal
(MDG) 1 target for the reduction of poverty. The household level consequences
of this crisis are most acutely felt in LIFDCs where a 50% rise in staple
food prices causes a 21% increase in total food expenditure, increasing
these from 50 to 60% of income. In a high income country this rise in prices
causes a 6% rise in retail food expenditure with income expenditure on
food rising from 10 to 11%. FAO estimates that food price rises have resulted
in at least 50 million more people becoming hungry in 20084, going back
to the 1970 figures.
This paper looks at the nutrition consequences
of the food price crisis, particularly among women and children who are
biologically the most vulnerable members of households. The nutrition status
of individual household members is a product of food security, access to
health and environmental sanitation services, and maternal and child caring
practices. The paper provides a perspective on what the appropriate responses
are for ensuring food and nutrition security in the face of rapidly rising
food prices, in the context of contributing to the achievement of the MDGs
and progressively realizing the human right to adequate food.