Potato market look in

On food stamps and obesity

The USDA Economic Research Service has released a new 110 page study examining the link between food stamps and obesity.

From the report:


In 2005, FSP participants averaged $92.70 in monthly benefits at a cost of $31.0 billion to the government (USDA, 2006a). Ironically, it is in the period since the Food Stamp Act’s passage that the prevalence of obesity has increased so dramatically. Between 1971 and 1974, the FSP served between 9.3 and 12.8 million participants annually (USDA, 2006a), and the prevalence of obesity in the United States was 14.5 % (Flegal et al., 2002). These statistics have doubled. In 2005, the FSP served an estimated 25.7 million participants (USDA, 2006a), and the revalence of obesity is currently over 30 % (Flegal et al., 2002).

Later....

OLS results suggest Food Stamp receipt significantly increases female BMI by less
than one index point and significantly increases the female probability of being obese by a
couple of percentage points (two to five). In corresponding models that examine males, Foods
Stamps have statistically insignificant effects on BMI and obesity.

Who is coming in?

There is an interesting USDA report out that looks at what countries are eligible to ship fruits and vegetables to the U.S., and their relative importance as a producer.
From the USDA's description of the report:
This data product combines data from ERS, USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the World Bank. The data provide information on which countries producing specific fresh fruits and vegetables were eligible to export to the United States as of February 2007. Data on the absolute and relative importance of these countries in international fruit and vegetable production and trade, individually and in aggregate, are also included. The development status of the countries that are eligible to export to the United States is indicated, along with the ranking of each commodity in U.S. production and disappearance data.

TK: I published a couple of the spreadsheets to Google Docs. Here is the link to the summary of what countries ship various fruit commodities to the U.S., and this is the link to the vegetable summary. Here is the information stated in matrix style for fruit and here is the matrix for vegetables.