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The Loss-Adjusted Food Availability (LAFA) data and the dietary intake surveys conducted by Federal agencies supply key data for monitoring Americans’ food and nutrient consumption. The LAFA data, compiled by USDA, Economic Research Service, provide estimates of the annual loss-adjusted availability for more than 200 food commodities dating back to 1970. The data are for the Nation as a whole but are not broken down by demographics or food source (grocery store, school, restaurant, fast food, community food programs, etc.). The dietary intake surveys—conducted by the USDA, Agricultural Research Service and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Center for Health Statistics—give detailed data on food and beverage intakes by demographics and food source. In this study, ERS researchers convert food and beverages reported in dietary intake surveys into commodities as reported in the LAFA data, use the converted data to estimate commodity consumption patterns, and then apply the estimated patterns to disaggregate the LAFA data for 1994-2008 by household income, age, gender, adult education, and race/ethnicity. More recent LAFA data are available, but we use the 1994-2008 LAFA data because the database to convert foods into commodities is currently available for 1994-2008 only.

ERS examines how using updated supermarket shrink-loss data in the agency's Loss-Adjusted Food Availability series would affect estimates of U.S. fresh food items available for consumption.

ERS’ Loss-Adjusted Food Availability (LAFA) data and Federal dietary intake surveys supply key data for monitoring Americans’ food and nutrient consumption. The LAFA data provide estimates for more than 200 food commodities back to 1970. The data are for the Nation as a whole and are not disaggregated by food source (at home and away from home). The dietary intake surveys, conducted by USDA’s Agricultural Research Service in conjunction with the National Center for Health Statistics, provide detailed data on food obtained and eaten by Americans at various locations. ARS has developed databases, in conjunction with ERS, to translate foods reported in dietary intake surveys into ERS food commodities. These databases enable ERS researchers to disaggregate LAFA availability data by demographics and by food source in this study. Consistent with ERS data indi - cating that the at-home market accounts for 58 percent of food expenditures and 68 percent of caloric intake, over half of all food commodities acquired over 1994-2008 were for at-home use. On average, over 80 percent of total fruits, dairy, and nuts—and 61 percent of all meats and fish—were acquired for at-home use. The at-home share of some commodi - ties (e.g., berries, fluid milk, caloric sweeteners, and nuts) rose over 1994-2008 while the share for others (e.g., chicken and wheat flour) declined.