ARLINGTON, VA – A first-of-its-kind study published in the peer-reviewed journal Food Policy concludes that by complementing local production, U.S. dairy exports to lower and middle-income countries (LMICs) significantly increased availability of critical nutrients that help combat malnutrition, stunting, blindness, weakened bones, and other poor health outcomes. 
        

In LMICs, U.S. free trade agreements (FTAs) more than doubled the amount of high-quality protein available to meet recommended daily intake, along with increasing availability of vitamin A by 136%, zinc by 108%, and vitamin B12 and calcium by 88% (compared to pre-FTA figures). These nutritional gains provided by trade play a complementary role where domestic dairy production is insufficient to meet demand.

Adequate intake of protein is crucial for preventing stunted growth, while zinc plays a vital role in growth, development, and robust immunity; vitamin B12 is needed for red blood cell formation and the prevention of anemia; calcium (50% of which is provided by milk globally) is needed to build and maintain strong bones; and deficiency of Vitamin A is one of the leading causes of preventable blindness.

USDEC President & CEO Krysta Harden commented:

"This critical research underscores the enormous positive impact U.S. dairy has on nutrition around the world, providing valuable insights for producers and USDEC member companies.

The benefits of expanding dairy trade extend beyond economic returns and, in fact, directly support the health of people around the world by increasing the availability and affordability of nutrients linked to important health benefits – especially for the young, elderly, and vulnerable populations.” 

USDEC Vice President for Sustainable Nutrition Janice Giddens, a co-author of the study, added:

“Trade is a powerful tool for advancing global goals to end hunger, particularly by improving access to nutrient-rich foods like dairy in lower- and middle-income countries where domestic production falls short. Dairy delivers a powerful package of essential nutrients that are often difficult to obtain in some regions, but international agrifood trade can help bridge that gap and get those nutrients to the people who need them most.”

The study authors also utilized a widely accepted modelling framework to measure the change in aggregate trade costs (converted to a tariff-equivalent rate) and found that dairy-based nutrient gains corresponded to significant nutrient access and affordability to consumers. Over the 24 years studied, the cost of trading dairy products internationally fell by 31%, on average. Focusing on specific bilateral routes important to U.S. dairy exports revealed that the largest border-related trade cost decreases occurred in Mexico (50%) and CAFTA-DR countries (43%). Those decreases showed that for every 1% reduction in dairy import prices to consumers as a result of reduced trade costs, per capita nutrient availability increased by more than 6% in Mexico. 

The study (“Enhancing nutrition availability through international trade: U.S. and global dairy exports to emerging markets”) is available here and was supported by the U.S. Dairy Export Council.