Catalog Information

Exploring Food Purchase Behavior of Low-Income Households: How Do They Economize?

This report compares food purchases by U.S. households of different income levels and finds that low-income shoppers spend less on food purchases despite facing generally higher purchase prices. Households can economize on food spending by purchasing more discounted products, favoring private-label (generic) products over brand, pursuing volume discounts, or settling for a less expensive product (for example, less lean beef) within a product class. A 1998 sample of foodstore purchase data shows that low-income households adhere to these practices when possible, but that the typically smaller size of foodstores in urban and rural locations may sometimes preclude them from doing so.

Keywords: food spending, low-income households, cereal, meat, poultry, cheese, fruit, vegetables, discounts, promotions, scanner data, ERS, USDA

ID: ERSAIB747-07 (aka AIB747-07 AIB74707 AIB 747-07 AIB-747-07)

Authors: Ephraim S. Leibtag and Phil R. Kaufman
8 pp
Publication Date: 6/30/2003 12:00:00 PM

URL: http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/AIB747/aib74707.pdf