ABSTRACT

Many countries now have regular, official sample surveys of food consumption for the purposes of monitoring the problems associated with malnutrition and diet-related disease, and also to provide the data needed by governments for the formulation of food policies. Others use estimation methodologies based upon macro-level data of production and trade or upon the interviewing of individuals or panels of households by market research companies. Some of the early researchers realized that a number of factors influenced food consumption beyond the context of the regional food culture. Food consumption differences between the sexes are not only a matter of intake to match different body weights and nutrient requirements. The age and sex composition of the population is also significant for the overall structure of demand. There are significant regional differences in the ecological, economic and social factors that underpin the consumption of food, and also in the organization of the food economy by manufacturers and retailers.