Food Consumption, Prices, Expenditures

This report presents historical data on food consumption, prices, and expenditures, and U. S. income. and popu1at.ion. A retail price-weighted quantity index put the 1988 per capita food supply up 10 percent from 1967, as consumption of crop-derived foods outpaced consumption of foods from animal products. Retail food prices rose 5.8 percent in 1989. The increase markedly exceeded the average annual 3.4-percent gains since 1981 when there was a sharp slowing in the rate of inflation. Americans spent $507.2 billion for food in 1989 and another $77.3 billion for alcoholic beverages. Away-from-home meals and snacks captured 44 percent of the U. S. food dollar in 1989, up from 34 percent in 1969 and 24 percent in 1949. The percentage of disposable personal income spent for food declined, from 14.2 percent in 196.7 to 11.7 percent in 1989