Rest in Peace, Dr. Gretel Pelto

Nutritional anthropologist and inspiration to many, Gretel Pelto, passed away on July 15, 2025 at the age of 85.  “She was a  delightful person who sparked my imagination” said a nutritional anthropologist colleague.

Pelto was a pioneer in promoting formative research as a precondition for effective program design.  She helped institutionalize methods like Rapid Ethnographic Assessment Procedures (REAP), which allow programs to quickly understand.   Pelto emphasized that local caregiving behaviors, feeding practices, and beliefs about illness critically influence child nutrition and diarrhea outcomes. She argued that programs must understand how mothers and caregivers perceive and respond to symptoms like diarrhea.  This led to more tailored and relevant messages and interventions, such as adjusting oral rehydration therapy (ORT) messages to local contexts.

Pelto highlighted the central role of women — not just as caregivers — but also as decision-makers who are constrained by time, income, and intra-household power dynamics.

Perhaps her greatest legacy was her bridging anthropology with applied nutrition and public health programming.  She worked with organizations like WHO, UNICEF, and USAID to integrate qualitative insights into nutrition planning.  At the World Health Organization in Geneva from 1992 to 1999, Gretel led groundbreaking initiatives to improve household management of childhood illnesses, shaping global health strategies across Latin America, Asia, and Africa.

Her classic textbook “Nutrition Anthropology:  Prospects and Perspectives” was one of the earliest to flesh out nutrition anthropology in development and aid.  She authored over 160 research articles, 14 books and monographs, and 35 technical reports and manuals.  Many of which can be found in the Cornell University hosted “Gretel Pelto papers, 1974-2017: ” https://rmc.library.cornell.edu/EAD/htmldocs/RMA04327.html

She was awarded the Malinowski applied anthropology award, and the Kellogg Award in International Nutrition, an honorary doctorate from the University of Helsinki (1996), and fellowships with both the American Society for Nutrition and the Society for Applied Anthropology.

Gretel cherished mentoring students and collaborating with colleagues.  Her enthusiasm and keen intellect fostered a global community of scholars and practitioners.  World Hunger Education Service former Chair, Margie Ferris Morris, remembers Pelto — her mentor and advisor:  “Gretel was always encouraging to her students. She once told me to believe in myself more, as the work I was doing was important! “

Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, she was an early friend of musician/roubadour Bob Dylan and taught him the song House of the Rising Sun..  She is survived by her beloved husband and collaborator, Dr. Jean-Pierre Habicht, a famous and accomplished nutritionist.