Overcoming budget constraints to healthy diets: Evidence from urban Tanzania

Constantine Manda, Danford Sango, Vivian Hoffmann, Alan de Brauw, Zakayo Zakaria, George Temba, Elizabeth Brown, Dorothy Richards and Said Rashid

No 2372, IFPRI discussion papers from International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)

Abstract: This study investigates the impact of temporary subsidies for nutrient-dense foods on the diets of low-income households in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Vouchers for eggs, milk, and unflavored yogurt were provided to randomly selected households over a three-month period. The subsidies significantly increased the consumption of the targeted healthy foods while discounts were offered. These effects persisted up to 9 months after the end of the subsidy period and were accompanied by a shift in preferences for the targeted foods. Consumption of unhealthy complements, specifically sugar added to yogurt and milk, increased during the subsidy period. Finally, while poorer households initially benefited most, sustained impacts were greater among wealthier households. In sum, the findings demonstrate that subsidies for healthy foods can lead to sustained improvements in diets, while suggesting a role for accompanying interventions such as nutrition education to maximize net health benefits, and pointing to the need for ongoing support to the most vulnerable.

Keywords: affordability; consumers; healthy diets; households; less favoured areas; subsidies; urban areas; Tanzania; Africa; Eastern Africa; Sub-Saharan Africa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-10-30
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dev
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:fpr:ifprid:177443

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