Table 2:

Overview of 11 key shifts in the 50-year evolution of processed food consumption in SSA: Who, what, when, where, how

	Traditional	Early transitional	Mid- to late transitional	Late transitional to early modern
Cereals consumed (not reflecting the form)	Home-produced millet, sorghum, and maize	Buy millet, sorghum, and maize; start buying rice and wheat	Buy more rice and wheat and less millet, sorghum, and maize	Continue shift to rice and wheat
Acquire minimally processed cereals	Pound grain at home	Custom mill flour or buy by scoop or large bag	Buy packaged branded maize flour and polished rice	Purchase highly and ultraprocessed rather than minimally processed
Acquire minimally processed roots and tubers	Pound roots and tubers at home	Buy cassava flour by scoop or bag	Buy packaged cassava and yam flours	Continue shift to packaged cassava and yam flours
Products’ processing stages	No flour purchases	Buy flour (first-stage processed); start buying bread (second-stage processed)	Buy pasta and more bread (second-stage processed)	Buy highly and ultraprocessed foods
Acquire animal products	Hunt, fish, and raise animals to consume	Buy live or customkilled animals at retailer and clean at home	Buy minimally processed, cleaned meat and fish	Continue buying minimally processed and start buying ultraprocessed
Acquire snacks and drinks	Cook and eat traditional snacks and treats at home	Buy traditional snacks and treats	Buy ultraprocessed packaged snacks and beverages	Increase purchases of ultraprocessed snacks and SSBs
When snacks are consumed	Traditional festivals	Diverse special occasions	Weekly or daily	Increase frequency
Meal preparation and acquisition	Cook and eat meals at home	Buy traditional meals at local street vendors	Buy nontraditional meals at restaurants and street vendors	Buy at fast-food chains
Who buys meals away from home	No purchased meals	Bachelors and students	Women and men working outside the home	Whole family
Purchases of highly processed foods	A few traditional snacks (fritters, mandazi)	A few types (bread, mandazi)	Many types	Increase diversity
Sources of processed foods	Home	Small local retailers and neighbors	SMEs, stalls, and retailers in towns	Small shops and supermarkets