Food budget shares and income and price elasticities are estimated,
using 1996 data, for nine major consumption groups and eight food
subgroups across 114 countries. The broad groups include food, beverage,
and tobacco; clothing and footwear; education; gross rent, fuel,
and power; house furnishings and operations; medical care; recreation;
transport and communications; and other items. Food subgroups include
bread and cereals, meat, fish, dairy products, fats and oils, fruit
and vegetables, beverages and tobacco, and other food products.
The depth and breath of these data provide an opportunity to incorporate
the elasticities into research on changing food demand patterns.
For each of the 114 countries included in this analysis, data are
presented on per capita food group share of total expenditures,
individual food subgroup share of total food budgets, and income
and price elasticities for the broad groups and food subgroups.
Changing Structure of Global Food
Consumption and Trade explores factors underlying shifts in
global food consumption patterns and the composition of world agricultural
trade. Higher incomes, diet diversification, and increasing demand
for higher quality and labor-saving products are among the factors
that influence food consumption and trade.
