AN ECONOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF THE AWAY-FROM-HOME FOOD MARKET
Abstract
In recent years significant changes have been occurring in the socio-demographic and economic structure of the U.S. population. These changes havebeen accompanied by alterations in Americans food eating patterns--including not only what they eat, but also when, where, and with whom this food is eaten. These shifting food consumption patterns re likely to have impacts on the entire food marketing system. The general objective of this study was to identify how changes in selected socio-demographic and economic factors affect food consumption as reflected throug the changes in expenditures for food away-from-home (FAFH). An econometric model depicting how household FAFH expenditure patterns vary with such characteristics as household size and composition, education, race, labor force commitment, region as well as income and value of time was developed, which entailed the use of detailed cross-sectional consumer survey data. Tobit analysis, which accounts for both consuming and nonconsuming households, was found to be a superior estimation procedure to ordinary least squares regression. Several hypotheses concerning thetratment of missng and/or incomplete observations were tested. In additio, more specific informatin about the likelihood of consuming particular types of foods away-from-home was obtained through probit anaysis. Household income, value of time, and the environment in which household consumption occurred were important determinants of FAFH oxpenditures in all FAFH models estimated. The relative importance of these factors varied across dependent variables (including total expenditures, expenditures at restaurants or fast food facilities). Household size and composition were also important factors in estimating FAFH expenditures. The decomposition of the Tobit estimates indicated that market participation differed according to household size, income, value of time, and by source of expenditure. Finally, total expenditures per household on FAFH in 1990 are projected to be below the 1977 level, due mainly to declining household size. The direction of the predictions varied by source of expenditure. Aggregate U.S. expenditures for FAFH, however, are predicted to increase (for all sources) due to the predicted larger number of households.
Degree
Ph.D.
Subject Area
Agricultural economics
Off-Campus Purdue Users:
To access this dissertation, please log in to our
proxy server.