Diansheng Dong

Economic Incentives for Dietary Improvement Among Food Stamp Recipients

Most Americans need to consume more fruits, vegetables, and dairy products. This need is particularly acute among low-income individuals. This study examines the cost-effectiveness of two economic policies that use alternative policy levers available within the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly Food Stamp Program) to increase consumption of these under-consumed foods. Data from three nationally representative surveys are used to estimate demand elasticities, marginal propensity to spend on food out of food stamp benefits, and consumption amount of and spending on under-consumed foods among food stamp recipients. Results suggest that a 10% price subsidy would curtail consumption deficiencies by 4%–7% at an estimated cost of

Will Changing Demographics Affect U.S. Cheese Demand

734 million a year. When the same

WIC Households’ Bread and Cold Cereal Purchases: When They Use Benefits Versus Paying Out of Pocket

734 million is used to finance food stamp benefits, consumption deficiencies are predicted to narrow by only 0.35%–0.40%.

Economic and demographic factors affecting US demand for lunch meats

U.S. cheese consumption has grown considerably over the last three decades. Using a censored demand model and Nielsen Homescan retail data, this study identifies price and non-price factors affecting the demand for differentiated cheese products. Own-price and expenditure elasticities for all of the cheese products are statistically significant and elastic. Results also reveal that a strong substitution relationship exists among all cheese products. Although demographic influences are generally smaller than those related to prices and expenditures, empirical findings show that household size, college educated female heads of household who are age 40 and older, residing in the South, Central, and Western regions of the United States, as well as Black heads of household, have positive statistically significant effects on consumers’ cheese purchases.

Can Low-Income Americans Afford a Healthy Diet?

Purpose: The US Department of Agriculture’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) seeks to improve the health of participating women and children by providing nutrition education and a monthly package of supplemental foods including whole grain bread and cereal. While some studies confirm that participants consume more whole grains, others find no effect. In this study, we hypothesize that the positive association between WIC and whole grains is being reduced in size and consistency by several factors. Design/Setting/Participants: American households were surveyed about their food purchases. Overall response rate was 45.6%. A total of 4826 households completed the survey including 471 WIC households. Measures: The survey recorded households’ purchases of refined and whole grains in bread and cereal over 1 week. Analysis: T tests were used to compare the bread and cereal purchases of WIC and eligible, non-WIC households. Probit models were also estimated to assess a WIC household’s likelihood to choose whole grain foods when using benefits versus other payment methods. Results: On average, WIC households acquired more whole grains in bread than eligible, non-WIC households (1.33 vs 0.72 ounce equivalents per household member aged 1 year or older; P < .05). No difference is found for cereal (P > .10). Moreover, when using payment methods other than WIC benefits, WIC participants are 19% less likely than other households to choose whole grain bread (P < .05) and 20% less likely to choose a whole grain cold cereal (P < .05), which suggests that WIC-provided foods may replace some whole grains participants would otherwise buy for themselves. Conclusion: WIC is positively associated with whole grains. However, the association is stronger for bread than cereal. Moreover, foods provided through the program may partially replace whole grains that WIC households would otherwise buy for themselves.

Why are Americans consuming less fluid milk? A look at generational differences in intake frequency

Abstract Consumer demand analyses of meats have seldom included processed meats, particularly lunch meats. In this study, we examine retail lunch meat data from Nielsen 2006 Homescan. The objective of this study is to determine the impact of retail prices, expenditure, and demographic variables on eight lunch meat products. A censored AIDS model is used to estimate the demand for lunch meat products. Results reveal that own-price elasticities are elastic for all lunch meat categories. The expenditure elasticities are elastic for four lunch meat products and inelastic for the remaining products and demographic variables have statistically significant impacts on lunch meat purchases.