FOOD SECURITY STUDY

September ‘08 Identifying trends of food consumption of Group Lending microfinance clients

This report examines the various patterns of food consumption

amongst Kashf Foundation’s Group Lending clients by analyzing

the results of a survey across ten branches in various districts of

Punjab.

Author: Aziz Omar -Senior Associate (M&E)

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Food security study I D E N T I F Y F O O D C O S U M P T I O N T R E N D S I N L I G H T O F R I S I N G I N F L A T I O N

Introduction

The food security study aimed at evaluating the various food consumption patterns of Kashf Foundation’s

Group Lending clients by surveying across a hundred households (HHs). The representative clients of these

households belonged to ten randomly selected branches from the pool of 132 branches across the

various districts of Punjab in which Kashf is currently operating. The questionnaire designed in this

regards comprised various identifiers such as:

Incidence of procuring grocery (daily, weekly, monthly)

Typical monthly household budget for food

Various sources of purchasing food (general store, parchoon, utility store, wholesale market,

self-production)

Whether current food prices are burdensome and what contingency measures (if any) have

been adopted from options such as availing credit, curtailing other expenses, pulling children

out of school etc

Number of days (if any) that the family had to go hungry and whether any family member

frequently has to forego their food intake for others' sake.

Frequency of consuming meat (fish, chicken, mutton, beef)

Lastly, a quantitative/qualitative assessment matrix was populated with figures related to the

weekly food consumption of the households with regards to quantities purchased, prices and

unavailability

Household level food purchases

The findings have revealed that the range of the reported household sizes tend to have a median level

of around seven members. The households of Kashf’s clients have already been defined as comprising

only those individuals who are feeding off from a single kitchen setup; thus a similar approach has been

adopted with regards to this study as well. The responses indicate that most of the food procurement is

done on a monthly basis. However, the 36% of households that do so are contrasted by the 35% that

purchase their food every other day. Those that prefer a weekly system, however, account for around

29% of the sample pool. Furthermore, a third of the households that do purchase their foodstuffs on a

monthly basis ran out of food in 25 days.

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The median monthly food budget for the sampled households came out to be around Rs.6,250. However,

the findings also revealed that 25% of the respondents’ households were spending in the range of

Rs.10,000 to Rs.20,000 on their monthly purchases.

96% of the respondents revealed that their household’s stock of food was being purchased from the local

general/karyana store. However, 41% revealed that they were also buying food from the nearby utility

store or a wholesale market.

Coping mechanisms

Upon being questioned whether the current level of food prices were placing a financial burden on their

families, 90% of the respondents were in the affirmative. This outcome seems to be quite understandable,

given that most of Kashf’s GL clients have respective monthly household incomes of under Rs.10,000 and

hence the concurrent food budget seems to be taking up 60% - 70% of the earnings. Out of the

surveyed clients, 29% revealed that they had experienced a number of days in the span of one year in

which they had gone hungry. These ranged from 1-4 days, with 9%, 8%, 8% and 4% respectively.

However, unexpectedly it was the male folk that revealed in 65% of the cases to have had their

nutritional intake reduced. These mostly consisted of the husbands of the female clients in 40% of the

cases, whereas the female household members that indicated being affected comprised entirely of the

clients themselves.

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General stores

Utility stores Wholesale market

Others Self production

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Source of food Purchased

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Overall, only 82% of the surveyed clients’ families were consuming 3 meals a day, whereas most of the

others were subsisting on eating twice a day. On being questioned on what a typical meal included, the

respondents indicated at consuming items falling under most of the basic categories such as pulses,

vegetables, cereals or grains, meat and dairy products. Vegetables and pulses were consumed by almost

all of the questioned clients’ families, whereas rice and milk were taken by 94% and 93% respectively.

The most popular meat choices were chicken and beef that were being preferred by 72% and 60%

respectively. 51% of the clients’ revealed that their respective families complement their meals with

yogurt.

The oft-repeated coping strategy to counter the burdening effect was revealed in 76% of the cases to

simply eat less. However, the majority i.e. about 67% of the respondents’ families were resorting to other

measures alongside the afore-mentioned ones. These ranged from taking out a loan, cutting back on

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Affected Person

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Vegitable Chicken Mutton Beaf Daal Rice Milk Yogart

Typical Meal constituents

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other expenses, establishing another business, working longer hours and even in some cases pulling their

children out from school and making them work. This last option was being exercised by 10% of the

households and whilst besides eating less, 42% had taken out a loan whereas 56% had cut back on

expenses other than those related to food. 19% of the responses alluded to putting in an extended work

day and 16% had opted for starting a new business.

A combo strategy option that was the most popular was that of availing credit, eating less and curtailing

expenses and was being practiced by 18% of the surveyed clients’ families. 54% indicated that their

families had to compromise on their food intake as well as non-food expenses to cope with the rising

costs of edibles.

UNDERSTANDING ITEMISED FOOD CONSUMPTION

Incidence of meat consumption (overall)

The clients were queried on their related families’ meat consumption trend according to three main types,

that of chicken, beef and mutton. With regards to beef, most of the households who were consuming it,

were doing so on a weekly or monthly basis. Around 30% were having beef usually 1 – 2 times a week

whereas another 29% were having it 1 – 2 times in a month. Chicken was also being eaten by 29% of

the households usually either 1-2 times in a week or by another 37% 1-2 times in a month. Mutton

however was being consumed by relatively much fewer households, about one-tenth and they too were

having mutton mostly 1-2 times on a monthly basis.

Household weekly food consumption1

Wheat based rottis and chappatis being the staple meal supplement of mostly every Pakistani household,

it was no surprise that some quantity of wheat was being consumed by every single household of the

clients that were interviewed for the study. The median amount that is consumed on a weekly basis was

borne out to be 15 kilograms at Rs. 21 per kg2. Rice (mostly the low quality variety referred to as tota)

was being consumed on a median level of 2 kg at Rs. 55. Beef consumption stood at a level of 0.5 kg

being procured at a rate of Rs.120. in the Pakistani society, mutton is usually consumed around the so-

called Bari or Bakra Eid and so very few households were having it otherwise. Of the sampled pool, only

10% were having mutton, usually 1kg at a rate of Rs. 250.

1 All mentioned values are median ones unless stated otherwise 2 All prices are mentioned for a quantity of 1 kg unless stated otherwise.

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Chicken was being consumed at around 0.5 kg at Rs.120 with eggs being eaten around 3 at Rs.60 a

dozen and that too by only 27% of the respondents’ households. Fish was only being consumed by 97%

of the households and those HHs that were usually ate about a kilogram of it at a rate of Rs.200.

Common seasonal pulses had a consumption of around 1 kg at a rate of Rs.80, whereas seasonal

vegetables such as lady fingers, tomatoes, onions and potatoes witnessed around 5 kgs worth of intake

at roughly a rate of Rs.40. Milk with 7 liters, ghee with 2 kgs and sugar with 2.5 kgs were being

consumed at rates Rs.30 per liter, Rs.140 and Rs.30 respectively. Cold drinks were typically being

consumed by 57% of the respondents’ HHs in the range of 1-3 liters at a rate Rs.35. Fruits, usually the

seasonal ones such as mangoes, had an intake of 2 kgs at a rate of Rs.40.

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Itemised prices per Kg

Quantity of food items consumed (Kgs)

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Problems faced in food purchases

Responses were also sought from the surveyed clients on a number of issues. These ranged from high

prices of items, unavailability in the market, any other problem being faced to not facing any problems,

or not having a preference for a specific food category. Banaspati ghee (hydrogenated vegetable oil)

pulses, vegetable fruits, rice and wheat were the most common items cited as being highly priced in the

market, with 96% - 100% of interviewees being in agreement. In the case of wheat however, 12% also

reported that besides facing a problem of high pricing, they were also experiencing a shortage in the

market as well which was something that was only very much unique to this item or food. Food stuffs such

as sugar and mutton also drew a high price aspect response from more 90% of the questioned clients.

Milk, beef and chicken were stated to be high priced by 82%, 80% and 62% of the respondents

respectively. Bakery products, cold drinks and eggs however were mentioned as being pricey by around

a quarter of the clients.

Up to one-tenth of the respondents stated that they either had no preference or were facing no problems

such as relating to high price as unavailability in the market with regards to wheat, rice beef, mutton,

chicken, milk, sugar, bakery products, vegetables and fruits. Hardly any respondent indicated that they

were not facing any problems or did not have any preference for items such ghee, pulses and eggs.

Around one-thirds of the respondents did express so regarding fizzy drinks. The survey revealed fish to

be the least popular and desired food stuff, especially due to a seasonal aspect with regards to it being

summers at the time, when seafood consumption is usually avoided. Hence 97% indicated having no

preference for it, whereas the rest who did consume it on some occasions also expressed that they were

facing a high price issue.

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High price