The “food system” in Bangladesh is rapidly changing. Changes are taking place in the patterns of consumption and expenditure in urban and rural areas in terms of (i) market purchases versus own production; (ii) the commodity base of diets; (iii) a long term tendency towards a growing role of international trade in food commodities and hence greater influence of trade policies and international prices on domestic prices; (iv) more processing of food commodities outside the immediate producing or consuming households (v) the expansion of the retail sector. These latter developments may be providing substantial growth in income opportunities for poorer households as processors and traders. Also, changes in the food system are expected to have important nutritional implications for the general population, particularly for the poor. The general objective of the study was to investigate the changes in the patterns and trends of food consumption together with associated changes in the food system/food processing chain in rural and urban poor households in Bangladesh during the last five years. The report detailed out the findings from its research and concluded by stating the various constraints of the study.
Authors: Halder, Shantana; Urey, Ian; Barua, Proloy
Type: Report
Year: 2003
