In a World Health Day feature on nutrition and global trade, Nutrition Insight highlights analysis from IFPRI’s Senior Director on Food and Nutrition Policy Purnima Menon on how global trade disruptions, conflicts, and economic shocks affect food affordability, diet diversity, and nutrition security. The article underscores that while trade can help stabilize food prices and expand access to diverse foods, it can also expose countries to new nutrition risks during crises. Menon explains that governments’ responses depend on the nature and severity of shocks, drawing lessons from recent global emergencies.
As Menon noted: “What governments try to do for nutrition in the context of shocks will depend on the nature, timing, and duration of the shock.” Reflecting on pandemic responses, she added that “when economic shocks are deep or sudden, such as when COVID‑19 hit, we saw that governments that had available social safety net architectures reshaped what they offered through those.” Menon pointed to cases where “new food commodities and ingredients were added to supplement staple grains,” helping to protect diet quality during periods of severe disruption.