USDA's Nationwide Food Consumption Survey - Department of Agriculture

The results presented in this article are based on data collected in the 1987-88 Nationwide Food Consumption Survey (NFCS) conducted by the former Human Nutrition Information Service (HNIS), now a part of USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS). The NFCS, collected about every 10 years since the mid-1950's, is USDA's most comprehensive survey of food consumption by American households.

The 1987-88 NFCS consisted of two samples: one from low-income households and one from the general population (sometimes referred to as the basic, or all-income, sample). Both portions sampled private households in the 48 contiguous States. The low-income sample consisted of households that met certain income criteria, adjusted for household size (see table 1). All households, regardless of income, were eligible for the basic sample.

Detailed survey information was collected regarding the value, type, and quantity of foods used from household food supplies during a week as well as socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of the households.

The data have some limitations, which may affect generalizing these findings into wholesale trends on food consumption. The survey only measures food bought for preparation/consumption at home. Without capturing purchases of food in restaurants, fast-food establishments, sandwich shops, and other outlets away from home, some of the data may not adequately measure consumption patterns. The NFCS data include food purchased at foodservice establishments, but only if it is carried home for consumption.

We adjusted the data to account for differences in the number of meals eaten away from home, household members, and guests. The adjustment assumes that household members would consume foods away from home in the same relative proportions as they did at home. This may be a valid assumption for many foods, but not so for others. For example, with the dramatic increase in the number of salad bars in restaurants and fast-food establishments over the last decade, people may be eating relatively more fresh vegetables away from home than at home. Therefore, it is difficult to measure actual food consumption using only data on foods eaten at home.

Also, since consumption data are not collected in the same manner as for traditional agricultural commodities, one cannot extrapolate these conclusions to estimate the impacts on agricultural markets. There has been a considerable shift from consuming individual food items to foods in mixtures (such as pizza, frozen entrees, and salads). Households participating in the survey can report these foods as mixtures rather than as each individual food. This would tend to underestimate the consumption of certain agricultural commodities. For example, the pork sausage used on pizza is reported as pizza, not pork - underestimating red meat consumption.

Table 1
Low-Income Thresholds Adjusted for Household Size

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