Nutritional Quality of Foods Acquired by Americans: Findings From USDA's National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey

Lisa Mancino, Joanne Guthrie (), Michele Ver Ploeg () and Biing-Hwan Lin

No 276248, Economic Information Bulletin from United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service

Abstract: We use data from the USDA’s National Household and Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey to describe the nutritional quality of foods purchased and acquired by a nationally representative sample of Americans. We compare the nutritional quality of foods purchased and acquired by households that participate in USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to the foods of other low-income, SNAP-nonparticipating households and those of higher income households. We also compare the nutritional quality of foods purchased and acquired by households with low access to healthy food retailers to households with better access, for the population as a whole, and for the SNAP-participating and -nonparticipating subgroups previously described. Similarly, we compare nutritional quality of foods obtained from supermarkets and other grocery retailers to foods prepared away from home at restaurants, fast-food establishments, schools, and other sources for the whole population and for defined subgroups. We find that lower nutritional quality of household food acquisitions was associated with SNAP participation status and limited household access to healthy food retailers. More reliance on food prepared away from home was also associated with lower nutritional quality, especially for higher income households.

Keywords: Agricultural Finance; Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018-02
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-agr
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:uersib:276248

DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.276248

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