Modelling Food Expenditure, analysing Nutrient Security, Measuring Hunger and Calculating Purchasing Power Parity: Methodological Advances with Policy Applications

This project models Food spending and analyses the implications for Food and nutrient security. The study introduces a new poverty measure based on calorie deprivation and compares it with conventional expenditure based poverty measures. The concept of a 'balanced diet' is used to study the wider issue of nutritional deprivation. Finally, ,the project proposes a new methodology, based on unit values of Food items, for caculating purchasing power parity between countries and between regions in large countries. The analysis of changes in consumption pattern in selected
Asian countries with strong trade links with Australia has considerable policy significance.