International wheat prices generally declined in April, on account of ample supplies and generally favourable outlook for the 2017 harvest. Export prices of maize remained under downward pressure, mainly reflecting expectations of bumper crops in Southern Hemisphere countries. By contrast, international rice prices increased, supported by a rebound in trade activity, especially due to accelerated sales to countries of the Near East. In East Africa, cereal prices rose further in...

This note provides a structured review of adoption trends of national policies aimed at promoting healthier diets and collates evidence on their effectiveness. We limit our focus to evidence exploiting data collected after the policy implementation, and using appropriate counterfactual methods to identify the policy effect.

Traditionally, agricultural, trade and food policies have rarely been shaped by their anticipated dietary and nutritional impacts. Yet, such policy choices have potentially important consequences for the diets and nutrition of populations.This note presents an overview of dietary implications of agri-food policies not explicitly targeted at nutrition.

International wheat export prices followed diverging trends in March depending on the origin. The benchmark US wheat price declined after increasing in the previous two months, mainly reflecting improved weather conditions in key-growing areas. By contrast, in Argentina, prices increased because of strong demand. Maize export prices generally declined under pressure from favourable production prospects in Southern Hemisphere countries. International prices of rice remained relatively stable and were below their...

The objective in this technical note is to look at transnational corporations in the food industries and study the conceptual issues in trying to assess causation for diet change and to examine the (limited) empirical evidence supporting alternative views.

International cereal export prices increased further in February. Wheat and maize quotations were mainly underpinned by strong demand but ample global supplies and generally favourable early prospects for 2017 crops limited the increase. International prices of rice also increased, mostly reflecting currency movements and expectations of stronger Basmati sales. In East Africa, cereal prices remained at record or near-record highs in February, underpinned by the sharply-reduced 2016/17 harvests following severe...