Download Jean Buzby and Judy Putnam

Grains: Trends in U.S. Per Capita
Availability and Intake
Jean Buzby and Judy Putnam
Economic Research Service
U.S. Per Capita Food Consumption Data
First published in December 1941
Annual data extends back to 1909
Only source of time series data on food and
nutrient availability in the country
Major component of the Nation’s nutrition
monitoring system
U.S. Per Capita Food Consumption Data
Major Uses
Analyze commodity markets
Study relationships between …
Income, prices, and consumption
Diet and health
Evaluate effects of technology and marketing
changes over time
Develop and manage public policies, regulations,
and programs
Cross-country comparisons (fao.org)
Food Consumption As Reported by
Producers and Consumers:
Improving What We Know
Per capita food availability (aka food supply) data
Comes from producers and processors
Overstates food intake
New ways of adjusting for losses
Individual food intake data
Comes from a large sample of consumers
Understates food intake
New interviewing techniques to minimize
underreporting
Webster Definitions for “Consumption”
In economics …
the using up of goods and services: opposed to
production
the amount used up
The act or process of consuming

To eat or drink especially in great quantity
<consumed several kegs of beer>
Estimating U.S. Food Consumption
Production + Beginning Inventories + Imports
Minus
Exports + Farm and Industrial Use + Ending Inventories
Equals
U.S. Food
Consumption
(Availability)
U.S. Per Capita Food Consumption Data
Food Availability Estimates,
1909-2002
Derived from food availability
estimates:
Nutrient Availability Estimates,
1909-2002
Food Intake Estimates/Pyramid
Servings, 1970-2002
Nutrient Availability Estimates, 1909-2000
Amounts per capita per day of food energy and
27 nutrients and food components in the U.S.
food supply
Nutrients contributed from major food groups,
per capita per day
Food Intake/Pyramid Servings
Derived from Food Availability Data
ERS uses aggregate food availability data,
adjusts for losses, and converts the remaining
supply into Food Guide Pyramid servings.
These are then compared with servings
recommendations for the U.S. population.
Allows researchers to compare the amount and
types of food available in the food supply with
information from consumers about their actual
food intake
Calories: Total Food Supply and
Food Supply Adjusted for Losses
Calories per person per day
4,000
3,500
Total food supply available for consumption1
3,000
2,500
Food supply adjusted for
spoilage, cooking losses, plate
waste, and other losses2
2,000
1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000
1Rounded
2Not
to the nearest hundred.
calculated for years before 1970.
The U.S. Per Capita Food Supply Changed
Markedly Between 1970 and 2000
-28%
-25%
-19%
-14%
Beverage milk
Coffee
Eggs
Red meat
Alcoholic beverages
Fruits and vegetables
Caloric sweeteners
Fish and shellfish
Fats and oils
Grain products
Poultry
Carbonated soft drinks
Cheese
Calculated from food availability data.
15%
23%
25%
30%
42%
47%
97%
109%
161%
Grain Consumption Up From the 1970’s
But Far Below Early 1900’s Highs
Pounds per capita
300
250
200
150
Total Grain
products1
Wheat
flour
100
50
Corn products
0
1909 1919 1929 1939 1949 1959 1969 1979 1989 1999
1Total
includes oat, barley, and rye products.
Source: USDA’s Economic Research Service.
Grain Was the Major Source
of Protein in the Early 1900s
Grams Per Capita Per Day of Protein
40
37
30
Grains
22
Meat, Poultry, and
Fish
1909
2000
Source: USDA, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion
Folate in grain products more than tripled
between 1997 and 2000 due to mandatory
fortification of enriched grain products
Micrograms Per Capita Per Day of Total Folate
691
328
1909
371
1997
Source: USDA, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion
2000
Americans Now Consume One Grain Serving
More Per Person Per Day Than Recommended
Pyramid-based servings
per capita per day
2003 food supply1 Recommended2
Flour and cereal products
1Adjusted
10
9
for losses that totaled 31.4 percent of total food availability.
Includes an ERS estimate of 0.6 serving from whole grain foods
missing from the food supply database, such as popcorn. 2Based on
1992 Food Guide Pyramid.
Adjusted Per Capita Food Supply: Out of
Balance with Dietary Recommendations
Percent of Recommendation
250
200
Pyramid serving
recommendation*
150
100
50
0
Grains
Vegetables
2000 data. *Based on a 2,200-calorie diet.
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Fruits
Dairy
Meat
Added fats
Added
sugars
U.S. Food Guide Pyramid
Key
Fats, Oils, & Sweets
Fat (naturally occurring)
USE SPARINGLY
Sugars (added)
These symbols show fat and added sugars in food
Meat, Poultry, Fish,
Milk, Yogurt,
Dry Beans, Eggs,
& Cheese Group
& Nuts Group
2-3 SERVINGS
2-3 SERVINGS
Vegetables Group
Fruit Group
3-5 SERVINGS
2-4 SERVINGS
Bread, cereal,
Rice, & Pasta
Group
6-11 SERVINGS
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Visit our website at...
www.ers.usda.gov/
and explore our consumption data at
http://www.ers.usda.gov/Data/FoodConsumption/
Jean Buzby, Ph.D.
[email protected]
202-694-5370