title: Economic assessment of nutritional recommendations.
abstract: The effect of consumers' compliance with nutritional recommendations is uncertain because of potentially complex substitutions. To lift this uncertainty, we adapt a model of consumer behaviour under rationing to the case of linear nutritional constraints. Dietary adjustments are derived from information on consumer preferences, consumption levels, and nutritional contents of foods. A calibration exercise simulates, for different income groups, how the French diet would respond to various nutrition recommendations, and those behavioural adjustments are translated into health outcomes through the DIETRON epidemiological model. This allows for the ex-ante comparison of the efficiency, equity and health effects of ten nutritional recommendations. Although most recommendations impose significant taste costs on consumers, they are highly cost-effective, with the recommendations targeting salt, saturated fat, and fruits and vegetables (F&V) ranking highest in terms of efficiency. Most recommendations are also economically progressive, with the exception of that targeting F&V.
authors.affiliation: MTT Agrifood Research Finland, Economic Research Unit, Latokartanonkaari 9, 00790 Helsinki, Finland. Electronic address: xavier.irz@mtt.fi.
authors.forename: Xavier
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Irz
authors.affiliation: INRA ALISS UR 1303, 65 Boulevard de Brandebourg, 94205 Ivry-sur-Seine, France.
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Leroy
authors.affiliation: Toulouse School of Economics (GREMAQ - INRA and IDEI), Université Toulouse 1 - Capitole, Manufacture des Tabacs, 21 Allée de Brienne, 31000 Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Réquillart
authors.affiliation: INRA ALISS UR 1303, 65 Boulevard de Brandebourg, 94205 Ivry-sur-Seine, France.
authors.forename: Louis-Georges
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Soler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004032:Diet / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005502:Food / Q000191:economics; D005518:Food Preferences; D005602:France; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D018673:Nutrition Policy / Q000191:economics*
keywords: Diet; Food choice; Healthy; Norms; Rationing