Food Consumption Patterns Part 2

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most fortified foods category, albeit a countervailing rumor has convinced a large
minority of the population that Energy Drinks will eventually maim or
kill the user and they are taboo to women because
of they are believed to have aphrodisiacal
qualities that might lead a woman to do things she
will regret or that would soil her reputation. The
heavily sweetened and unfortified Dominican
wine, “Champiion,” is another example.
Featuring a weight-lifter on the label, is has, with
no advertising whatsoever, become equated with
vitality and athleticism. Plain salted crackers
became a common meal substitute for children
because they are “salt food” similar to the
balanced mid-day meal.
The belief that such foods are nutritious—
especially vis-a-vis popular class Haiti’s
Every popular class Haitian knows that
Dominican Wine sold throughout Haiti
revitalizes and invigorates
sophisticated understanding of nutrition seen earlier in the report--can be conceptualized as a
dangerous shift in food consumption patterns and comprehension. The trend is concurrent with
urbanization and a greater demand for foods that ship and store well and with long shelf life,
particularly important in Haiti where electric service and hence refrigeration is undependable and,
in the best of areas, seldom available for more than 8 hours per day. These factors create a situation
ripe for exploitation by unscrupulous marketers.
But the gullibility can work to the advantage of any socially conscious marketing campaign. By
emphasizing the importance of nutrition, the nutritional value of RUFTs, a responsible marketing
campaign can raise the level of awareness and—without directly mentioning other brands--call
attention to the low quality ingredients in other products. In this way they can start their own folk
beliefs, but one with substance and verifiable. By actually getting the RUFTs onto the market we
can reinforce the campaign, providing people with a bona fide alternative to low quality snack
foods.
Getting to the Market
Similarly, there are relationships inherent in the Haitian informal vs formal markets that offer
significant opportunities to get RUFTs onto the popular market. Specifically, the population of
Haiti is radically market and entrepreneurial oriented, as much as 50% of all adults are engaged in
some type of trade. There are ways to maximize the interest in trade, scarcity of credit, and links
before formal and informal sector merchants what could be utilized to assure widespread
distribution of RUFTs.
In the 632 respondents Consumer Survey, fully 29% of all respondents had at least one person in
their home who was selling snacks who had sold them within the past 12 months. In 87% of those
households, the vendor was a woman; in 12% of the households the vendor was a man, and in 2%