10 year snapshot shows changes in food consumption

10 year snapshot shows changes in food consumption NaturalResourceReport.com

Americans are eating a little less beef and pork, but more poultry. They like their cheese, but drink less fluid milk. Yogurt consumption is up, ice cream consumption is down. And, perhaps surprisingly, total fruit and vegetable consumption per capita has actually dipped despite what generally seems to be healthier eating habits. All these conclusions are based on the latest look at American consumption of food commodities by the US Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service (ERS) over a ten-year period from 1998 through 2007.

“We are seeing some shifts in consumers’ diets,” says Brent Searle, analyst with the Oregon Department of Agriculture. “Some of those shifts are related to health concerns, some are simply price related as commodities are influenced by a variety of factors resulting in retailers charging more or less.”

The ERS data does not include 2008 and 2009- two economically volatile years that have produced some large fluctuations in commodity prices and production. However, the 10-year snapshot reveals some interesting trends which can be instructive to all agricultural producers and processors, including those in Oregon.

“These types of long term trends are important to look at because they give agriculture some indication of where consumers are spending their dollars,” says Searle.

The food trends are based on US per capita consumption- how many pounds of a certain commodity the average American eats in a year. Those trends may differ slightly state-by-state, but they do reflect food choices that Americans, in general, are making.

The data shows red meat consumption is down from 115.1 pounds per capita in 1999 to 110.6 pounds in 2007. Beef consumption has dropped from 64.5 pounds per capita to 62.2 pounds in 2007. Consumption of pork, veal, and lamb has also decreased. Red meat’s loss is apparently poultry’s gain. Over the same period, chicken consumption has increased nearly 10 pounds per person, per year, from 50.4 pounds in 1998 to 59.9 pounds in 2007. Turkey consumption has remained fairly stable but the overall category of poultry has done well.

“Poultry consumption is up and I think that is related to packaging, convenience, relative ease of preparation, and certainly price competitiveness when compared to red meat,” says Searle.

Fish and shellfish is another category that has seen some gains in US consumption. In 1998, per capita consumption was 14.5 pounds. By 2007, that climbed to 16.3 pounds per capita. Egg consumption has also increased from 30.8 pounds per capita in 1998 to 32.1 pounds in 2007.

The US dairy industry has been on an economic roller coaster over the years with some wild swings in production, price, and consumption. In general, milk as a beverage has trended downward in consumption while at least some of the lower fat dairy products have shot upward.

The ERS data shows that fluid milk consumption has dropped from a high of 198.5 pounds per capita in 1998 to 178.2 pounds in 2007. No other commodity in the report has seen a bigger decrease over the last decade. But a closer look at the type of milk being consumed indicates Americans are trying to reduce the fat in their diet. Whole milk is down from 69.5 pounds per capita in 1998 to 55 pounds in 2007. Lower fat milk has actually increased over the same period of time from 95.6 pounds per capita in 1998 to 96 pounds in 2007.

A health-conscious America is more often walking past the ice cream aisle in the grocery store on its way to the yogurt section. Ice cream consumption is down from 16.3 pounds per capita in 1998 to 14 pounds in 2007 while yogurt consumption has nearly doubled from just 5.9 pounds per capita in 1998 to 11.5 pounds in 2007. Also on the rise is cheese as consumption is up from 27.8 pounds per capita in 1998 to 32.7 pounds in 2007. Cheese has gained tremendous popularity growth in such entrees as pizza and other quick serve products.

One of the head-scratchers in the ERS data involves consumption of fruits and vegetables.

“When you aggregate all fruit and vegetable consumption compared to a decade ago, it is down,” says Searle. “Conventional wisdom dictates the opposite direction, given our trend towards health consciousness.”

The category of all fruits and vegetables shows consumption down from 709.2 pounds per capita in 1998 to 680 pounds in 2007. A breakdown of those numbers indicates less consumption of fruit is responsible for the overall category drop. Consumption of all forms of fruit is down from 290.4 pounds per capita in 1998 to 263 pounds in 2007. Even fresh fruit is down from 129.1 pounds per capita in 1998 to 126.2 pounds in 2007.

“Part of the explanation may be that the price of some fresh fruit increased in 2007 because the devalued US dollar made imports more expensive,” says Searle. “We import a lot of fruit, primarily bananas, which is the number one fruit consumed in the US. Banana prices were up substantially at that time.”

Whether it is fresh, canned, or dried, consumption of fruit is down over the 10-year period. Fresh vegetable consumption, on the other hand, is up from 192.8 pounds per capita in 1998 to 202.2 pounds in 2007, even though canned and frozen vegetable consumption has decreased. The buy local campaign and farmers’ markets have influenced fresh vegetable consumption, but so has the industry’s convenient packaging.

“Baby carrots, for example, has been a big hit with consumers and so has pre-packaged salads,” says Searle. “Other industry segments can learn from the success of the fresh vegetable industry, which has listened to consumers about the products they want. That has brought more dollars to that industry segment.”

When the statistics for 2008 and 2009 are available, there could be some changes. The price of specific food commodities has an even greater influence during a tough economy. As new trends emerge, agriculture will hopefully respond in a manner that keeps it viable.