Work

Contribution of food prices and diet cost to socioeconomic disparities in diet quality and health: a systematic review and analysis

Year: 2015

Type: review

Abstract: CONTEXT: It is well established in the literature that healthier diets cost more than unhealthy diets. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this review was to examine the contribution of food prices and diet cost to socioeconomic inequalities in diet quality. DATA SOURCES: A systematic literature search of the PubMed, Google Scholar, and Web of Science databases was performed. STUDY SELECTION: Publications linking food prices, dietary quality, and socioeconomic status were selected. DATA EXTRACTION: Where possible, review conclusions were illustrated using a French national database of commonly consumed foods and their mean retail prices. DATA SYNTHESIS: Foods of lower nutritional value and lower-quality diets generally cost less per calorie and tended to be selected by groups of lower socioeconomic status. A number of nutrient-dense foods were available at low cost but were not always palatable or culturally acceptable to the low-income consumer. Acceptable healthier diets were uniformly associated with higher costs. Food budgets in poverty were insufficient to ensure optimum diets. CONCLUSIONS: Socioeconomic disparities in diet quality may be explained by the higher cost of healthy diets. Identifying food patterns that are nutrient rich, affordable, and appealing should be a priority to fight social inequalities in nutrition and health.

Source: Nutrition Reviews

DOI: 10.1093/nutrit/nuv027

Authors: Nicole Darmon, Adam Drewnowski