This article was written while he was working for IFPRI. He would like to thank Marie Ruel, Corinna Hawkes, Cara Eckhardt, and Yisehac Yohannes for their help in classifying different food items into useful categories, and the World Bank for allowing use of the Guatemala LSMS.
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Does Supermarket Purchase Affect the Dietary Practices of Households? Some Empirical Evidence from Guatemala
Article first published online: 6 FEB 2008
DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-7679.2008.00407.x
© The Author 2008. Journal compilation © 2008 Overseas Development Institute.
Additional Information
How to Cite
Asfaw, A. (2008), Does Supermarket Purchase Affect the Dietary Practices of Households? Some Empirical Evidence from Guatemala. Development Policy Review, 26: 227–243. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-7679.2008.00407.x
Publication History
- Issue published online: 6 FEB 2008
- Article first published online: 6 FEB 2008
- first submitted April 2007 final revision accepted November 2007
- Abstract
- References
- Cited By
Keywords:
- Supermarket;
- diet;
- processed food;
- BMI;
- overweight;
- obese;
- Guatemala;
- instrumental variable
Very little is known about how changes in the retail environment affect consumers’diet and health status, especially in developing countries. This article examines the impact of supermarket purchases on the dietary practices of households in Guatemala, using an instrumental variable method to take account of the potential endogeneity of the supermarket purchase variable. The results reveal that supermarket purchases increase the share of highly and partially processed foods at the expense of staple foods, and are also positively and significantly associated with individual Body Mass Index. Different policy moves should be envisaged towards‘healthier’diets.