RESEARCH REPORT part I of 2 parts Food Distribution, Production, and Consumption in Haiti (with special emphasis on the emerging role of snack foods and prospects for marketing high quality peanut based snack foods) Report by Timothy T Schwartz 7th April 2015 CONTRIBUTORS Team Leader Timothy T. Schwartz 2nd Consultant Harold Maass Assistant Analyst Keely Brookes Nutritionist Adrienne Clemont Survey Supervisors Pharrel Emile Egain Ambeau Surveyors Marckenson Emile Othelo Bisnet Sylvestre Prophete Marc Jean Bastist Jeudy Lucner Rose-Yolande Desir Renande Nombre Reaud Previlus Logistics and Accounting Stephanie Pierre Focus Groups Nahomie Jeannis Almathe Jean Amelie Odney Focus Groups Timothy Schwartz Almathe Jean Nahomie Jeannis Rose-Yolande Desir Photo 1: Part of the survey team while in the North Department Left to right Rose-Yolande Desir, Othelo Bisnet, Marc Jn Batiste, Egain Ambeau, Marckenson Emile, Pharrel Emile (standing, center), Jeudy Lucner, Renande Nombre, Renaud Previlus Acknowledgments The study described in this report was originally funded by the American Peanut Council (APC), and carried out under the auspices of EDESIA, a social enterprise with the goal of preventing malnutrition among the world’s most vulnerable children through production of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods. Information and excerpts from this report were used in a 2015 report produced by EDESIA, but the bulk of information was not used and are therefore made available herein. All claims, analysis, interpretations and errors are those of the author. Contents Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................ 1 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 7 2. Demographic Overview of Haiti and Area of Study .............................................................. 8 Areas of Study........................................................................................................................... 11 3. Methodology ......................................................................................................................... 12 Review of Literature. ................................................................................................................ 12 Significant Key Informants ....................................................................................................... 12 Government............................................................................................................................... 12 Distributors ............................................................................................................................... 13 Redistributors ............................................................................................................................ 13 Supermarkets............................................................................................................................. 13 Stores/Boutik ............................................................................................................................. 13 Vendors and Marketers ............................................................................................................. 15 Value Chain Investigation......................................................................................................... 15 Consumer Focus Groups ........................................................................................................... 15 Cultural Consensus Analysis .................................................................................................... 15 Consumer Quantitative Survey ................................................................................................. 15 Survey Staff and Survey Structure ............................................................................................ 17 Operational Strategy ................................................................................................................. 17 Equipment and Instruments ...................................................................................................... 17 Data Quality and Management ................................................................................................. 17 4. Background: Understanding the Haitian Food and Nutritional Crisis .................................. 18 Malnutrition and food insecurity .............................................................................................. 18 Infant Feeding ........................................................................................................................... 18 Food Relief................................................................................................................................ 20 General Food Assistance....................................................................................................... 20 Fortified Foods ...................................................................................................................... 22 Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food ........................................................................................... 22 Peanut Based RUTFs ............................................................................................................ 23 Biofortification ...................................................................................................................... 24 RUTF Factories in Haiti........................................................................................................ 24 5. The Syntax of Popular Class Haitian Food System .............................................................. 26 Food Rules ................................................................................................................................ 27 Respect for Organic and National Foods .................................................................................. 29 Fortified folk Concoctions (Remontan) .................................................................................... 31 Food Combinations and Awareness of Nutrition...................................................................... 31 Conservatism......................................................................................................................... 33 Change .................................................................................................................................. 33 6. History of Hunger, “Socialization for Scarcity” ................................................................... 36 The Livelihood Strategies with which Socialization for Scarcity Emerged ............................. 37 7. The Market System ............................................................................................................... 41 Internal Rotating Market System .......................................................................................... 41 Formal Import Market System .............................................................................................. 43 Food Preparation Specialists ................................................................................................. 44 Mechanics of the Markets ......................................................................................................... 45 Credit and the Formal Sector Advantage .................................................................................. 47 8. Growth of the Food Preparation Industry ................................................................................. 49 Getting Something to Eat vs. Eating Something You Can Get ................................................ 49 Definition of Meals and Culturally Appropriate Times to Eat ................................................. 49 Meals ..................................................................................................................................... 49 Snacks ................................................................................................................................... 49 Culturally Appropriate Times to Eat..................................................................................... 50 The Food Preparation Conundrum............................................................................................ 51 The Storage Problem............................................................................................................. 52 The Water Problem ............................................................................................................... 52 The Fuel Problem .................................................................................................................. 52 The Labor Problem ............................................................................................................... 52 Summary of Food Preparation Costs .................................................................................... 53 Sociological Impact of the Food Preparation Conundrum ....................................................... 54 The Rise of Street Foods ........................................................................................................... 61 NOTES .......................................................................................................................................... 62 FIGURES Figure