Information is critical in today's fast moving diet industry.

Information is critical in today's fast moving diet industry. Several sources offer information onward consumption, prices, and expenditures, with similar data unless with differences in how the data are at handed Analysts need to know where the data are available, which topics are exhibited how the series are fabricateed and how the information can be adapted to their particular straits Analysts seeking data on regimen expenditures, for example, can find the information from USDA, personal consumption expenditures from the U Department of traffic and the continuing consumer expenditures contemplate from the U.S. Department of Labor. These three sources publish similar data further there are substantial differences in [i]modus operandi[/i]s concepts, and results.

Three Series in succession Food Expenditures

The USDA series forward total food expenditures provide the broadest and longest coverage. These data, from the Economic Research Service (ERS) include all expenditures for fodder in the United States since 1889 The data are for nutriment purchased (including food stamps) and in-kind (donated, home-produc and sport fish and game).

Purchases include aliment paid for by families and individuals, diet in travel and entertainment paid for on businesses, and food furnished to employee prisoners, and hospital patients. The series is available in sum of two units ERS publications-annually in Food Consumption, Prices, and Expenditures, and monthly in Agricultural foresight (see box).

couple ERS series measure food expenditures from personal income and personal coin income. Personal income includes items which are not paid directly to workers, including fringe benefits like as employer contributions for health insurance. Personal income also includes transfer payments, of the like kind as food stamps. These items are exclud in personal currency income.

The expenditures from personal income and personal riches income series may be appropriate when les comprehensive information is povertyed The "Expenditures Paid Out of Personal Income" series, for instance, bars the value of donated subsistences nonfarm and home-produced foods, sport fish and game, cost account meals, and meals for patients and inmates. Also exclud are fare and cash donated to academys and institutions.

The U Department of communion series on personal consumption expenditures (PCE) for diet provide data from 1929 to the not absent The series include expenditures from personal income for human cheer pet food, animal feed (mostly for personally allowed horses), and ice. Food bought with commons stamps, and food produced and consum forward the same farm are included. Data upon consumer expenditures for all other serviceables and services, income, and savings are also included.

The PCE series from business and the total expenditures series from ER differ significantly in way s concept, and results (table 1) Total expenditures include expenditures for businesses and for nutriment served in hospitals and institutions. bars these items. However, food purchased for at-home use is essentially the same universal in both series after (1) domicile food production and donations are exclud from total expenditures and (2) estimated expenditures for fit of peevishness food are taken out of personal consumption expenditures. After those adjustments, the estimate from PCE surpassed told expenditures by 8 percent in 1954 19 percent in 1977 and 22 percent in 1982

sum of two units consumer surveys, USDA's Nationwide viands Consumption Survey (NFCS) and the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Continuing Consumer Expenditure overlook (CCES), also provide measures of household nutrition expenditures. Formerly, the surveys were deportment ed about once a decade. The CCE became a continuing inspect in 1980 but it disguiseed only urban areas in 1981-83 The NFC may become a continuing overlook but until recently its coverage has been limited through budget problems and its emphasis has been forward individual food intake rather than in succession household consumption and expenditures. In 1987-88 a household scrutinize was conducted, but with limited sample size.

overlook methods differ between the NFC and CCE The CCE for example, relies upon two weekly diaries each quarter for at short intervals purchased items and quarterly interviews for global" items, as it is as the number of trips to the groceries store and average expenditures by trip. The NFCS, in contrast, uses an aided-recall interview where information onward food used in surveyed households is collected

The NFC and CCE also differ in the categories of feed spending that are included. The CCE for instance, provides no figures for the value of donated or home-produc rations Carryout foods are also treated differently in the couple surveys.

The CCE is the sole source that breaks down aliment spending for at-home use on product groups-the same products that appear in the Consumer Price Index. There is considerable year-to-year variation in the data for individual proceedss The level of aggregate spending for nutriment at home is much lower than in the other series.

What Do We Eat? Looking at the Data