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Household consumption of infant foods in two low‐income districts in Malawi
Author(s) -
Chiwaula Levison Stanley,
Kaluwa Ben M.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of international development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.533
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1099-1328
pISSN - 0954-1748
DOI - 10.1002/jid.1448
Subject(s) - poverty , economics , consumption (sociology) , low income , diversification (marketing strategy) , income elasticity of demand , agricultural economics , socioeconomics , business , labour economics , economic growth , social science , marketing , sociology
Household resource allocation to infant foods and infant care is investigated using data from 160 households in two low‐income districts in Malawi. Infant care is found to have a unitary budget and an inelastic price elasticity. While demand for two porridge types respond similarly to ingredients' price changes, adult meals substitute the porridges. Eradicating household income poverty; diversification of the household production, diet, infant food, and target recipients of infant nutritional information; widening the vitamin A fortification options; and targeting mothers of infants in work programmes are the proposed policy options. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.