Changes in food consumption patterns in the OECD area

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Abstract
This paper analyses trends in food consumption patterns in the OECD area over the past two decades. Using data on per capita consumption in caloric terms, changes in total consumption and the share of animal products are analysed through the estimation of consumption functions in which real per capita income is the explanatory variable. Cluster analysis is employed to derive country groupings on the basis of similarities in dietary structure in the late 1950 s and late 1970 s and thus to explore changes in dietary patterns. Per capita food consumption is becoming less responsive to changes in income and appears to be reaching a ceiling in the majority of the OECD countries. Since population is growing slowly it appears that aggregate food demand will also increase slowly in the future, even if income growth rates were to recover from recever from recently depressed levels. In most countries, the share of animal products in the diet is tending to stabilise, suggesting that the historical trend of rapid and regular increases in the share of animal products in the diet is coming to an end. Although some differences are likely to persist, there is a general tendency for dietary structure to become increasingly similar across the majority of the OECD countries.

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