Evolving rural food environments in South Asia: The role of processed foods, traditional markets, and marketing influences

Afrin Zainab Bi, Smaira Choudhury, A. N. M. Faijul Kabir, Kranthi Kumar Challa, Pavan Kumar Yeggina, Amit Srivastava and Prakashan Chellattan Veettil

from International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)

Abstract: Food environments in South Asia are undergoing a rapid transformation, marked by the growing consumption of processed and ultra-processed foods — a trend largely driven by accelerated globalization and aggressive marketing strategies. • Rural food environments in South Asia remain dominated by traditional, informal food outlets. Village retail shops primarily sell packaged foods and everyday household items, while open-air multivendor markets offer diverse fresh foods, including fruits, vegetables, fish, and meat, often at more affordable prices. • Most villages have reasonable access to retail food shops, but accessing open-air markets often involves traveling longer distances, either within the village or to neighboring areas. • Rural residents in South Asia are highly exposed to the promotion and advertising of unhealthy foods, particularly through mass media campaigns. • Stronger policies and improved infrastructure are needed to foster healthier food environments. Key strategies include supporting local markets, regulating the promotion of unhealthy foods, and enhancing the presence of healthy food options in retail settings.

Keywords: rural areas; food environment; markets; marketing; processed foods; policies; Asia; Southern Asia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-12
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://hdl.handle.net/10568/178083

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:fpr:ifpric:178083

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in IFPRI book chapters from International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by ().