U.S. Food Consumption: Annual Disappearance and Household Survey Data

Excerpts from the report: Food consumption data derived from household surveys were compared with time-series data after adjustments were made for consistency covering indirect uses, form in which reported, and classification of food groups. Foods with a high proportion of indirect uses included dairy products and eggs. Those that appeared to be most in need of adjustment for consistent form included flour, cereals, and baked goods; dry beans, and peas; and fishery products. Sugars and sweets and fats and oils required both adjustments. It was not possible at this time to make explicit allowances for seasonality and the pattern of food consumed away from home. After adjustment, trends in consumption implied by the survey data were usually consistent with those based on time-series "disappearance" data for most of the important food groups. Meanwhile, time-series data would be appropriate to use if the objective is to determine trends in food consumption. Cross-sectional interrelationships based on the surveys can be applied to the time-series data in analyzing effects on consumption of such important factors as levels of income, degree of urbanization, region, size of family and substitution of individual food commodities. Used together the 2 sets of data supplement each other in the analysis of food consumption.