Paper short abstract:

The paper examines determinants of global food systems change - retail and procurement systems, food transformation, markets and agricultural production - that are increasingly influencing structures of local food acquisition and thereby diets in LMICs.

Paper long abstract:

Diets in developing countries are increasingly mirroring global food consumption patterns, of high sugar, salt and fat intake from processed and packaged foods and are less likely to include micronutrient dense foods, such as fresh fruits and vegetables and pulses. This global dietary transition is accompanied with increased burden of overweight and obesity while limited progress has been made to tackle undernutrition. Although, demand side factors such as rapid urbanization and rising disposable incomes have been recognized, nevertheless, little is known about the supply side determinants that drive changes in food systems and thereby go on to influence diets in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). This is because existing evidence base has focused on the process of food systems modernisation, and links between food systems and consumer diets have not been conclusively explored. The paper reviews existing literature on food systems to identify trends in global food systems and their drivers that are key influencers of dietary transition in LMICs. Given the unevenness in the pace of food system modernisation across countries, the paper explores food systems of four LMICs, namely India, Indonesia, Mexico and Nigeria to better understand country-level determinants of food systems that go on to determine what's available on shelves and hence diets. Based on the evidence from existing literature and individual country case studies, the paper produces a set of hypotheses to better understand the transmission effect of changing food systems on consumer diets in LMICs.