The primary concern of more than half of all Pakistanis when buying food is its cost while 44 per cent say they can no longer afford the same items they consumed two years ago. Most people believe that prices of oil, transportation, weather pattern or catastrophic events and government policies are major factors affecting food supply.
The latest research − ‘GROW Campaign 2011’ − conducted by Oxfam indicates that the worldwide surge in commodity prices has clearly drawn a visible divide among developing and developed nations in levels of hunger.
Research indicates that the cost of food is the major concern of 51 per cent of Pakistanis surveyed while 28 per cent are concerned about its availability, 19 per cent question how healthy or nutritious the food is and 22 per cent ask how safe food is to eat.
It is also noted that the global rise in food prices has also changed dietary patterns of most people during the last two years. It points out that 18 per cent of Pakistanis strongly agree that they no longer eat some foods they did in the past. Around 39 per cent somewhat agree, nine per cent neither agree nor disagree, eight per cent somewhat disagree and 25 per cent strongly disagree.
Survey illustrates that 44 per cent of Pakistanis accept that they cannot afford the same products that they used to eat two years ago, because prices have gone beyond their reach. It indicates that 32 per cent people are not eating the same food owing to health concerns, two per cent are worried about the way the food is being produced and 11 per cent has stopped likening the same food or have pointed out that the same food is not available any more.
Study finds out that rising oil and transport costs, the impact of weather patterns and catastrophic events, are most frequently mentioned as the main factors affecting the food supply. Responses are clearly also being driven by local factors, such as the long-term drought in Australia and parts of Africa, and what was seen as a poor government response to the floods in Pakistan.
Highlighting the most important factor affecting the food supply, the research finds out that 26 per cent Pakistanis blame government policies, 28 per cent consider weather patterns and catastrophic events while 23 per cent believe that oil prices and transportation charges are major factor. It points out that nine per cent Pakistanis claim that it is result of the actions of big corporations, three per cent blame consumer demand and nine per cent say it is an outcome of high input cost of food producers, including cost of credit, equipment, fertiliser and seeds.
It is also suggested that the people of Pakistan and Tanzania have the worst perception of government policies as 26 per cent people of both countries blame government for affecting food supply. On average, 15 per cent people in developing and developed countries consider government policies responsible for affecting food supply while 18 per cent people in India attribute it to state policies.
Large majorities of citizens from developed countries polled report always having enough to eat while in some developing nations − Mexico and Pakistan among them – those who say they do not always have enough sustenance are in the majority, and in Kenya and Tanzania only around a quarter say they always have enough to eat.
The study also reveals that the cost of food is by some distance the dominant concern that people have about what they and their family eat, followed by health concerns − particularly in India, where ‘Western’ diets are spreading as the economy develops.
Food safety is a much greater concern in Russia, where it is the dominant worry that people have about their food – a likely response to recent food adulteration scandals. Kenya and Tanzania are alone in having substantial proportions of the population concerned about food availability.
The results of the question asking people to name their favourite food illustrates the degree to which western diets – at least as an aspiration − have spread across the world. While national dishes are prominent in most countries – paella in Spain, adobo in the Philippines, schnitzel in Germany, biryani in India and vegetables in Pakistan – in almost all countries, pizza, pasta and chicken are the favourite food of many. The exceptions are the low income countries in Africa, where traditional diets featuring maize meal in various different forms continue to hold sway.