This paper is about the food price spike of 2007/08, non‐staple foods, and people’s micro‐nutrient status — that is their supply and use of vitamins, minerals and trace elements needed in small amounts to allow full physical development and functioning.

It responds to the following questions:

• What happened to non‐staple food prices in countries where staple prices rose dramatically in 2008? What were the impacts on micro‐nutrient status?

• Are non‐staple food prices any more volatile within or between years than staple foods and if so what could be the reasons for this? Are there significant differences between different groups of non‐staple foods?

• In countries that have managed to significantly increase agricultural productivity in recent years what has happened to the availability and price of non‐staple foods? Is there evidence from the Green Revolution in Asia to suggest investments in rice production reduced people’s consumption of non‐staples or increased their prices?