Food Preferences and Nutrition in Rural Bangladesh

T HE dietary choice of households near subsistence levels of nutrient intake is one of obvious policy importance. In many countries, such as Bangladesh, national goals are set in terms of nutritional intake and there is heavy intervention in the markets for foods. However, little is known about the manner in which food preferences vary with food expenditure and nutrient intake. The design of efficient programs to aid nutritionally deficient households in attaining minimal levels of nutrient intake requires information on all ownand cross-price elasticities for both target and non-target groups. The net effect of a food price subsidy on the consumption of food nutrients cannot be predicted without knowledge of the complete elasticity matrix. Results presented below demonstrate that…