USDA's Low-Cost, Moderate-Cost, and Liberal Food Plans: Development and Expenditure Shares

Andrea Carlson, Mark Lino and Thomas Fungwe

No 6216, 2008 Annual Meeting, July 27-29, 2008, Orlando, Florida from American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association)

Abstract: The Low-Cost, Moderate-Cost, and Liberal Food Plans represent nutritious diets at various costs. This revision of the market baskets of each food plan using a mathematical optimization model reflects recent changes in dietary guidance and incorporates updated information on food composition, consumption patterns, and food prices at the same inflation-adjusted cost of the previous food plans. This analysis shows how food expenditures need to change to obtain a healthful diet. The analysis is particularly significant because average food expenses exceed the cost of the Low-Cost Food Plan. Hence, Americans could achieve a healthful diet at less the cost than they are currently paying.

Keywords: Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2008
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Persistent link: http://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:aaea08:6216

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