Donor agencies, governments and corporations are looking to mobilise businesses in the global campaign to reduce undernutrition. Involving the private sector in “nutrition sensitive” development is seen as key to sustaining progress in the long run. Food and agriculture are at the centre of these efforts. But how can food businesses contribute, and why aren’t they doing so already? Drawing on evidence from Ghana, Nigeria and Tanzania, this seminar examines why food markets often fail to provide nutrient-rich foods to the people most in need. It looks at several policy responses to these problems and asks what has made these efforts succeed or fail. These experiences suggest that policy change and public action are key if businesses are to play a role in tackling undernutrition.
Text of Business and Nutrition: What’s possible? What isn’t?
Business and Nutrition: Whats possible? What isnt? John
Humphrey Ewan Robinson 1
Outline Intro Business and development Business ecosystem
issues Case studies Conclusion 2
Introduction Why food and nutrition? Why businesses? 3
A framework for Business and Development 4
Business Ecosystem constraints 5
Inputs Farm production Processing
ConsumersRetailingDistribution 6
Regulation / Market Order Inputs Farm production Processing
ConsumersRetailingDistribution Price and quality Signalling
Reaching the poor Low awareness Business ecosystem constraints
7
Case studies 8
Non-profit Distribution 9
Regulation / Market OrderRegulation / Market Order Inputs Farm
production Processing ConsumersRetailingDistribution Price and
quality Signalling Low awareness Non-profit distribution (i.e.
RUTF) Reaching the poor Reaching the poor 10
Regulation / Market OrderRegulation / Market Order Commercial
Distribution Inputs Farm production Processing
ConsumersRetailingDistribution Price and quality Signalling
Reaching the poor Reaching the poor Low awareness 11
Mandatory Fortification 12
Regulation / Market OrderRegulation / Market Order Inputs Farm
production Processing ConsumersRetailingDistribution Price and
quality Signalling Low awareness Mandatory Fortification Reaching
the poor Reaching the poor 13
Regulation / Market Order Inputs Farm production Processing
ConsumersRetailingDistribution Price and quality Signalling
Reaching the poor Low awareness Price and quality Farm Production
16
Inputs Farm production Processing Price and quality Price and
quality Farm Production 17
Regulation / Market Order Inputs Farm production Processing
ConsumersRetailingDistribution Price and quality Signalling Price
and quality Signalling Reaching the poor Low awareness Reaching the
poor Low awareness Farm Production 18
Complementary Foods 19
20
Complementary Foods in Tanzania 21 Product Price per kg Maize
flour 1,000 Domestic flour mix 3,000 Domestic fortified flour 5,000
Multinational 13-20,000
