Diet cost in Brazil

• Grant number: 11/13227-8
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): December 01, 2011
• Effective date (End): November 30, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Nutrition - Nutritional Analysis of Population
• Principal researcher: Rafael Moreira Claro
• Grantee: Camila Zancheta Ricardo
• Home Institution: Faculdade de Saúde Pública (FSP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Introduction: Food choices are not determined entirely by physiological or nutritional needs, but also by the influence of social, cultural and economic variables, especially among the latter, family income and food prices. The need to approach the growth in the consumption of unhealthy foods by means of economic policies seems to be a consensus in the literature, since the price of food is perceived as a barrier to adoption of healthy diets even among individuals with greater purchasing power. Objective: To compare the price of food groups, considering the extent and purpose of the processing to which they are submitted. Methods: The data source used in this project is the Brazilian Household Budget Survey (POF) conducted in 2008/09. The main piece of information to be analyzed is the records of all purchases of food and beverages for household consumption. The food items will be divided into three groups: a) fresh food or minimally processed foods, b) ingredients for cooking or food industry and c) ultra-processed foods; and divided into subgroups inside each of the groups described. The price of each food groups and subgroups will be expressed in reais per unit of energy supplied (R$ / 1,000 Kcal). The mean price of the food groups will be obtained for the entire sample and according to demographic and economic strata. The presence of statistically significant differences will be identified using t-tests and analysis of variance (ANOVA).