Intra-household inequality in food expenditures and diet quality in the Philippines

Abstract Many welfare measures, including food expenditures and diet quality, are based on household-level aggregates. This is grounded in the assumption that resources are equally or equitably distributed among household members. Individual-level measures of food expenditures and diet quality may paint a more accurate picture of welfare. We find differences between household- and individual-level measurements of food expenditures and diet quality in the Philippines. We find that 25 percent of food poor individuals live in households that are not classified as food poor. This suggests potential misclassification of individuals if classifications are based on household-level measures. We further find intra-household inequalities in diet quality. Many women and children do not meet the recommended consumption for starchy staples and for meat, fish, and pulses, even within households which, in aggregate, are able to meet the recommended consumption. However, consumption of vegetables, fruits, eggs, and milk is equally low across all household members.