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Refrigeration, Diets and Human Health: Evidence from Ghana

Author

Listed:
  • Enoch Ntsiful

    (Institute of Economics of Barcelona and Department of Economics, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain.)

  • François Cohen

    (Institute of Economics of Barcelona and Department of Economics, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain.)

Abstract

Little is known about household-level interventions to strengthen household resilience to food insecurity. Rapid electrification could enable refrigeration and transform how food is stored, prepared, and consumed. We provide the first causal evidence on how access to refrigeration affects food insecurity and dietary quality in a low-income country. Our identification exploits appliance breakdowns, comparing households with functioning and broken refrigerators purchased at the same time and similar prices. Losing access increases food insecurity by one third and reduces consumption of animal-sourced foods, lowering intake of vitamin B12. Refrigeration is an overlooked lever to improve diets and reduce micronutrient deficiencies.

Suggested Citation

  • Enoch Ntsiful & François Cohen, 2025. "Refrigeration, Diets and Human Health: Evidence from Ghana," IREA Working Papers 202523, University of Barcelona, Research Institute of Applied Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:ira:wpaper:202523
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    File URL: http://www.ub.edu/irea/working_papers/2025/202523.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • I14 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Inequality
    • I15 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Economic Development
    • Q49 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Other

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