In 2007 and 2008, the world witnessed a dramatic increase in food prices. The global financial crisis that began in 2008 compounded the burden of high food prices, exacerbating the problems of hunger and malnutrition in developing countries. The tandem food price and economic crises struck amidst the massive, chronic problem of hunger and undernutrition in developing countries. National governments and international actors have taken a variety of steps to mitigate the negative effects of increased food prices on particular groups. The recent abrupt increase in food prices, in tandem with the current global economic crisis, threatens progress already made in these areas, and could inhibit future efforts.

The Institute of Medicine held a workshop, summarized in this volume, to describe the dynamic technological, agricultural, and economic issues contributing to the food price increases of 2007 and 2008 and their impacts on health and nutrition in resource-poor regions. The compounding effects of the current global economic downturn on nutrition motivated additional discussions on these dual crises, their impacts on the nutritional status of vulnerable populations, and opportunities to mitigate their negative nutritional effects.

Contents

• THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
• PLANNING COMMITTEE ON MITIGATING THE NUTRITIONAL IMPACTS OF THE GLOBAL FOOD PRICE CRISIS
• Reviewers
• Summary
• 1. Introduction
  • WORKSHOP BACKGROUND
  • WELCOME FROM THE SPONSOR
  • REFERENCES
• 2. The Dual Crises: Tandem Threats to Nutrition
  • THE RECENT AND CURRENT FOOD PRICE CRISIS AND FUTURE PERSPECTIVES
  • THE CURRENT GLOBAL ECONOMIC CRISIS AND FUTURE PERSPECTIVES
  • DISCUSSION
  • REFERENCES
• 3. Impacts on Nutrition
  • CONCEPTUAL PRESENTATION ON PATHWAYS TO NUTRITIONAL IMPACT
  • EXISTING EVIDENCE OF NUTRITIONAL IMPACTS
  • ARE THE URBAN POOR PARTICULARLY VULNERABLE?
  • DISCUSSION
  • REFERENCES
• 4. Responding to the Crises at the Country Level
  • THE ROLE OF MINISTRIES IN RESPONDING TO THE CRISES AT THE COUNTRY LEVEL
  • REVIEW OF NATIONAL RESPONSES TO THE FOOD CRISIS
  • THE CASE OF MEXICO
  • THE GLOBAL FOOD PRICE CRISIS AND FOOD DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY IN CHINA
  • FOOD PRICES, CONSUMPTION, AND NUTRITION IN ETHIOPIA: IMPLICATIONS OF RECENT PRICE SHOCKS
  • BANGLADESH CASE STUDY
  • DISCUSSION
  • REFERENCES
• 5. A Role for Nutrition Surveillance in Addressing the Global Food Crisis
  • NUTRITION SURVEILLANCE IN RELATION TO THE FOOD PRICE AND ECONOMIC CRISES
  • INSIGHTS FROM 25 YEARS OF HELEN KELLER INTERNATIONAL’S NUTRITION SURVEILLANCE IN BANGLADESH AND INDONESIA
  • FAMINE EARLY WARNING SYSTEMS NETWORK, NUTRITION SURVEILLANCE, AND EARLY WARNING
  • LISTENING POSTS PROJECT: A CONCEPT FOR A REAL-TIME SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM NESTED WITHIN A PROGRAM
  • FOOD SECURITY, NUTRITION MONITORING, AND THE GLOBAL FOOD PRICE CRISIS: USAID/FFP TITLE II PROGRAMS
  • DISCUSSION
  • REFERENCES
• 6. The Global Response to the Crises
  • INTRODUCTION TO THE GLOBAL NUTRITION LANDSCAPE
  • THE ROLE AND CAPACITY OF FOUNDATIONS IN RESPONDING TO THE CRISES
  • THE ROLE OF FOOD COMPANIES IN RESPONDING TO THE CRISES
  • THE ADVOCACY ROLE OF CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS IN RESPONDING TO THE ECONOMIC AND FOOD PRICE CRISES
  • THE ROLE AND CAPACITY OF CIVIL SOCIETY IN RESPONDING TO THE CRISES
  • MITIGATING THE NUTRITIONAL IMPACT OF THE GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY CRISIS: THE ROLE AND CAPACITY OF UN AGENCIES IN RESPONSE TO THE CRISIS
  • THE ROLE AND CAPACITY OF UNICEF IN RESPONDING TO THE CRISES
  • THE ROLE AND CAPACITY OF THE WFP IN RESPONDING TO THE CRISES
  • THE ROLE AND CAPACITY OF FAO IN RESPONDING TO THE CRISES
  • THE ROLE AND CAPACITY OF WHO IN RESPONDING TO THE CRISES
  • DISCUSSION
  • REFERENCES
• 7. U.S. Policy in Food and Nutrition
  • THE ROADMAP TO END GLOBAL HUNGER
  • USAID’S RESPONSE TO THE FOOD CRISIS AND PREVENTING MALNUTRITION FOR THE FUTURE
  • FOOD SECURITY IN THE 21ST CENTURY
  • USDA’S RESPONSE TO THE CRISES AND FUTURE PERSPECTIVES
  • RENEWING AMERICAN LEADERSHIP IN THE FIGHT AGAINST GLOBAL HUNGER AND POVERTY
  • DISCUSSION
  • WORKSHOP CLOSING REMARKS
  • REFERENCES
• Appendix A Workshop Agenda
• Appendix B Speaker Biographies
• Appendix C Workshop Registrants

Rapporteurs: Elizabeth Haytmanek and Katherine McClure.

This study was supported by Grant No. 51649 between the National Academy of Sciences and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, with additional support from the PepsiCo Foundation. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the organizations or agencies that provided support for this project.

Suggested citation:

IOM (Institute of Medicine). 2010. Mitigating the Nutritional Impacts of the Global Food Price Crisis: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.