Trade liberalization and nutrition transition: how export influences households’ macronutrient consumption in Vietnam

At the Health and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (HAPRI), we believe that economic and health policies must go hand in hand. Building on our earlier work, Impact of Trade Liberalization on Household Welfare: An Analysis Using Household Exposure-to-Trade Indices, our new study explores how trade liberalization shapes what Vietnamese households eat—and what that means for public health.

Why Trade—Why Now?

Vietnam’s economic miracle has been powered in large part by open trade. Between 2002 and 2020, average export volumes more than quadrupled, and average export tariffs fell by over 0.8 percentage points . Such shifts haven’t just changed factory output or balance-of-payments—they’ve influenced food prices, availability of imported products, and urban lifestyles. Yet the precise link between trade openness and dietary patterns remained under-explored. Our goal was to fill that gap by asking:

How does exposure to trade liberalization affect households’ calorie and macronutrient intake—from both home-cooked and out-of-home meals—and does it nudge diets toward recommended nutritional guidelines?

Channels of trade liberalization impact on nutrition transition.

Why This Matters

Vietnam’s remarkable trade growth over the last two decades has reshaped its economy. But how has that macro-economic shift affected everyday diets? As exports expand and tariffs fall, food availability, prices, and lifestyle choices are all in flux. Our research team—Thang T. Vo, Phu-Duyen T. Tran, Dinh X. Nguyen, and Thiet-Ha Truong, all of whom are proud to call HAPRI home—set out to quantify trade’s impact on household nutrition from 2002 to 2020.

Energy and nutrient intake per food consumption mode over the years (per person per day) divided by total number of household members

Key Findings

• Shift to Eating Out: Households exposed to trade liberalization consume significantly more calories, protein, fat, and carbohydrates from out-of-home meals.

• Balanced Diets on the Rise: Greater export activity helps households move closer to the recommended protein:fat:carbohydrate ratio (16.5%:22.5%:60%).

• Dual Effects: While out-of-home nutrition rises, home-cooked intake remains stable, suggesting that trade opens new dietary options without displacing traditional meals.

Policy Implications

Our findings underscore the need for integrated trade-health policymaking. As Vietnam negotiates future trade agreements, regulators should consider:

1. Nutritional Safeguards: Promote access to nutritious food even as markets open.

2. Public Awareness: Educate consumers about balanced diets amid rising dining-out trends.

3. Cross-Sector Collaboration: Align agricultural subsidies, trade incentives, and health campaigns to support dietary quality.

Read the full article in Food Security to dive deeper into our methodology and policy recommendations: https://rdcu.be/epVKw

Keywords:

• Trade liberalization

• Export

• Tariff

• Nutrition transition

• Eating out of home

• Equivalence scales

• Vietnam

Link:

• https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-025-01555-3

Citation:

• Vo, T.T., Tran, PD.T., Nguyen, D.X. et al. Trade liberalization and nutrition transition: how export influences households’ macronutrient consumption in Vietnam. Food Sec. (2025).