search our site     home > key topics > food prices, spreads & margins   food expenditures ERS analyzes and reports food expenditures, which contributes to an understanding of consumers' food choices. Estimates of food expenditures and research are based on the ERS food expenditures series and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Expenditure Survey. related briefing rooms - offer an indepth discussion synthesizing ERS research Agricultural Baseline Projections Food Consumption Food CPI, Prices, and Expenditures feature In 2003, U.S. consumers spent 47 percent of all food expenditures on food away from home. As personal disposable income continues to rise in the United States, families and individuals spend a smaller share of their incomes on food (just 10 percent) and an increasing share on food away from home. Consumers in lower income countries, in contrast, spend a much higher share of their budgets on food. See ERS tables on food expenditures for more information. web administration: webadmin@ers.usda.gov updated: July 24, 2004  Also at ERS... latest publications (all) • Taxing Snack Foods: What to Expect for Diet and Tax Revenues • Amber Waves, September 2004 • How Much Do Americans Pay for Fruits and Vegetables? latest data products (all) • Retail Scanner Prices for Meat • Agricultural Outlook Statistical Indicators • How Much Do Americans Pay for Fruits and Vegetables? research emphases (all) • A Healthy, Well-Nourished Population resources • Contact an ERS Expert • Calendar of Releases services • Receive E-mail Updates • E-mail This Page • Translate This Page

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