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Project

Fiscal and regulatory mechanisms for promoting healthy diets in urban Bangladesh
 

Bangladesh
Project ID
109264
Total Funding
CAD 499,500.00
IDRC Officer
Madiha Ahmed
Project Status
Active
Duration
36 months

Programs and partnerships

Lead institution(s)

Summary

Diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) continue to rise in Bangladesh, disproportionately affecting women, children, and the poor.Read more

Diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) continue to rise in Bangladesh, disproportionately affecting women, children, and the poor. The complex interaction of the fresh food supply chain, price drivers, competition from low-cost and low-nutrition products, and cultural influences affect access to consuming a healthy diet. This project aims to review how fiscal and regulatory measures can be used to promote healthy diets and reduce NCD-related mortality and morbidity.

The research team will use four complementary methods to understand existing systems and policies that promote or hinder access to healthy diets: policy mapping, supply chain analysis, in-depth interviews, and stakeholder engagement. The researchers will work with a wide range of stakeholders to identify the policy gaps in promoting healthy diets and explore relevant barriers and facilitators to implement such policies. A gender equity lens will be applied to explore the challenges and potential benefits faced by women and men of different socio-economic groups in accessing fresh food and maintaining a healthy diet.

The research will generate unique knowledge and evidence about fiscal policies and supply chains of fresh foods in Bangladesh, which will guide decision-makers, academics, and other key stakeholders in identifying and formulating fiscal policy, law, and regulatory mechanisms that incentivize access to fresh food. The study will develop clear recommendations to strengthen fiscal policies to promote healthy diets in Bangladesh.

This project will be funded through the Global Regulatory and Fiscal Capacity Building Program, a multi-agency parallel-funding partnership between IDRC, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the OPEC Fund for International Development, the International Development Law Organization, and the World Health Organization.