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US per capita milk consumption has been falling since the 1940s and falling at an accelerated rate in recent years. One possible reason is competition between it and other types of beverages. In this study, we determine whether changes in beverage prices are in a direction and of a sufficient magnitude for consumption trends to be explained by price competition between milk and other beverages. They are not. We also estimate a vector autoregressive model using data on households' average weekly purchases of milk and four other, major beverage categories for a very general test of whether any increase in sales of those other beverages would come at milk's expense. Results again suggest that competition between milk and the identified other major beverages is not responsible for milk's accelerated decline, and there is a need for the research community to investigate other possible explanations. [EconLit Citations: D12, Q11, Q18].

Introduction AUD medication treatment has been shown to improve outcomes compared with placebo when confined to per-protocol analysis. The same outcomes, however, have not always been maintained in intent-to-treat analysis, thus suggesting adherence may have a significant impact on efficacy outcomes. There is conflicting evidence present in the literature comparing adherence to oral versus injectable AUD pharmacotherapy and a paucity of information in the veteran population on risk factors for low adherence. Methods The primary end point of this retrospective chart review was to determine whether adherence rates differ between oral and injectable AUD treatments in veterans during the first year of treatment (at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months) using the portion of days covered model. Secondary end points were to determine differing characteristics between patients with high versus low adherence and compare alcohol-related readmission rates and discontinuation rates between groups. Results Adherence to injectable extended-release (XR) naltrexone was significantly higher than oral naltrexone at all time points and was significantly higher than disulfiram at 3, 6, and 9 months, but it was not significantly different from acamprosate at any time point. At months 9 and 12, acamprosate had significantly higher adherence compared with oral naltrexone. Patients with higher adherence were seen more frequently in the mental health clinic and had previously tried more AUD medications. The discontinuation rates and alcohol-related admission rates were not significantly different between groups at 1 year. Discussion XR naltrexone may improve adherence rates compared with oral naltrexone or disulfiram, but not acamprosate based on these outcomes. Patients may have increased adherence if they are seen more often in clinic and have trialed more AUD medications.

This study proposes a model of household food spending that accounts for zero censoring and can be applied to data collected through a clustered survey design to investigate the impact of food sales taxes on three groups: households who are eligible for and participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), households who are eligible but do not participate in the program, and households who are not eligible for the program. We find that SNAP participating households are largely insensitive to grocery taxes and respond to restaurant taxes by shifting more of their food dollars towards at‐home foods. Among households who are eligible for SNAP but do not participate in the program, grocery taxes reduce spending on foods purchased for at‐home consumption, and thereby increase the amount of the total food budget allocated to away from home foods. This is concerning from a nutrition and health standpoint since away from home foods tend to be more calorie dense and nutritionally poorer than at home foods.

Retail sales of fluid cow’s milk are decreasing while those of plant-based milk analogues are increasing. In this study, we model the relationship between households’ purchases of both types of products and perform simulations. Results show that growing consumer demand for plant-based products is causing cow’s milk sales to decline somewhat faster than otherwise. However, plant-based products are not a primary driver of sales trends for cow’s milk. The decline in cow’s milk sales is substantially greater than the rise in sales of plant-based analogues.

Objective:To examine the variety of fruits and vegetables lower income households in the USA can buy while meeting Federal dietary recommendations at different levels of expenditure.Design:Simulation techniques were used to create 3000 market baskets of fruits and vegetables. All baskets contained enough food for a four-person household to meet dietary recommendations for fruits and vegetables over 1 week. Each basket’s retail value was estimated along with the ability of a representative household to afford each basket with different levels of expenditure.Setting:We used data from the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Fruit and Vegetable Prices data product which reports a US household’s costs to buy each of 157 different fruit and vegetable products per edible cup equivalent.Participants:We consider the situation facing a lower income household that receives maximum benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). These benefits are enough for the household to obtain a nutritious and palatable diet without spending any of its own money on food if it approximately follows USDA’s Thrifty Food Plan.Results:Households receiving maximum SNAP benefits can buy a sufficient variety and quantity of fruits and vegetables if they allocate about 40 % of those benefits to these two food groups. However, if households spend less than that amount, the variety of products they can buy while still satisfying recommendations drops off quickly.Conclusion:Households that move fruits and vegetables to the centre of their budgets can better afford to meet Federal dietary guidelines.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) increases the food purchasing power of lower-income households so that they can better afford a nutritious diet. Benefit amounts are based in part on the cost for a household to follow the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP), a meal pattern designed to meet the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. In October 2021, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reformulated the TFP and increased its cost by 21%. However, the TFP still does not account for differences in food prices across the country. This study examines: (1) how geographic variation in food prices affects fruit and vegetable affordability and (2) to what extent raising the cost of the TFP (and therefore the maximum SNAP benefit) has mitigated these effects. We use data on fruit and vegetable prices from the USDA and simulation techniques to create and cost out food baskets with a sufficient quantity and variety of fruits and vegetables for a representative household to satisfy guidelines over one week. We find that the increase in SNAP benefits will increase fruit and vegetable affordability for participating households. However, households facing food prices greater than national average food prices may still face tradeoffs to purchase a balanced diet.

•Demand for produce is closely associated with patronizing DTC outlets.•Gardeners are more likely to buy food directly from farmers.•Caring about food and nutrition does not raise propensity to shop at DTC outlets.•DTC outlets operate in an increasingly competitive retail environment.

Purpose: The US Department of Agriculture’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) seeks to improve the health of participating women and children by providing nutrition education and a monthly package of supplemental foods including whole grain bread and cereal. While some studies confirm that participants consume more whole grains, others find no effect. In this study, we hypothesize that the positive association between WIC and whole grains is being reduced in size and consistency by several factors. Design/Setting/Participants: American households were surveyed about their food purchases. Overall response rate was 45.6%. A total of 4826 households completed the survey including 471 WIC households. Measures: The survey recorded households’ purchases of refined and whole grains in bread and cereal over 1 week. Analysis: T tests were used to compare the bread and cereal purchases of WIC and eligible, non-WIC households. Probit models were also estimated to assess a WIC household’s likelihood to choose whole grain foods when using benefits versus other payment methods. Results: On average, WIC households acquired more whole grains in bread than eligible, non-WIC households (1.33 vs 0.72 ounce equivalents per household member aged 1 year or older; P < .05). No difference is found for cereal ( P > .10). Moreover, when using payment methods other than WIC benefits, WIC participants are 19% less likely than other households to choose whole grain bread ( P < .05) and 20% less likely to choose a whole grain cold cereal ( P < .05), which suggests that WIC-provided foods may replace some whole grains participants would otherwise buy for themselves. Conclusion: WIC is positively associated with whole grains. However, the association is stronger for bread than cereal. Moreover, foods provided through the program may partially replace whole grains that WIC households would otherwise buy for themselves.

No significant difference was seen in between-class adherence when comparing SSRIs, SNRIs, bupropion, and mirtazapine during a 3-month study of veterans newly initiated on antidepressants.

Whether direct farmer-to-consumer outlets compete with supermarkets on produce prices remains an empirical question; marketing costs are not consistently higher in one retail channel or the other. This study compared prices of 29 fruits and vegetables across North Carolina farmers’ markets, roadside stands, and supermarkets. Larger farmers’ markets had higher prices: three fruits and one vegetable were cheaper at a direct outlet, while four vegetables were cheaper at supermarkets. Weighting item prices by consumption share attenuated differences in mean price across outlets. Direct-retail outlets are price competitive and should be considered among other tools to boost fresh fruit and vegetable intake.

ObjectiveTo explore the effect of seasonality on fruit and vegetable availability and prices across three outlet types (farmers’ markets, roadside stands and conventional supermarkets).DesignCross-sectional survey of geographically clustered supermarkets, farmers’ markets and roadside stands. Enumerators recorded the availability and lowest price for eleven fruits and eighteen vegetables in each season of 2011.SettingPrice data were collected at retail outlets located in central and eastern North Carolina.SubjectsThe sample consisted of thirty-three supermarkets, thirty-four farmers’ markets and twenty-three roadside stands.ResultsOutside the local harvest season, the availability of many fruits and vegetables was substantially lower at farmers’ markets and roadside stands compared with supermarkets. Given sufficient availability, some items were significantly cheaper (PConclusionsCommonly consumed fruits and vegetables were more widely available at supermarkets in central and eastern North Carolina than at direct retail outlets, in each season. Contingent on item availability, price competitiveness of the direct retail outlets varied by fruit and vegetable. For many items, the outlets compete on price in more than one season.

Restaurant foods are typically higher in calories than meals consumed at home. A goal of the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is to encourage healthier food choices at restaurants by providing consumers with information about the calorie content of menu items. However, doesn't a well-informed consumer already know that a 12-piece bucket of chicken has more calories than a salad? Following research in marketing science and behavioral economics, we evaluate a representative consumer's ability to discriminate between low-calorie and high-calorie menu items using only some basic “rules of thumb” nutrition knowledge. Results reveal the extent to which menu labeling may increase consumers' knowledge about the calories in restaurant foods.

This study investigates the demand for 10 disaggregated meat products by U.S. households. A censored demand system which imposes budget constraints in both observed and latent shares is estimated along with a detailed explanation of the estimation procedure. Additional details about the methodology not provided in previous studies should help researchers to empirically apply the model. An innovation of the study is to introduce the censored demand system model for studying the variety of a household's food purchases. Most households buy between seven and eight different products and hardly change the variety of their purchases with changes in meat expenditure.

Food loss at the retail and consumer levels in the United States includes 14.8 billion pounds of fruit and 23.4 billion pounds of vegetables, valued at $15.1 billion and $27.7 billion, respectively, in 2008 retail market prices. The total value of these losses is $42.8 billion per year, or roughly $141 per capita. To most efficiently reduce the annual food loss, it may be beneficial to focus efforts on the four fruits (fresh apples, grapes, peaches and strawberries) and four vegetables (fresh and canned tomatoes and fresh and frozen potatoes) that have the greatest amount of loss.

Objective To estimate the costs of satisfying MyPyramid fruit and vegetable guidelines, with a focus on whether low-income households can bear these costs. Design Descriptive analysis of the 2008 National Consumer Panel with information on the food purchases of 64,440 households across the contiguous United States was used to analyze the cost of fruits and vegetables. Costs per MyPyramid cup-equivalents were calculated by accounting for cooking yields and the portion of a food item’s retail weight that is inedible. Variables Measured Costs per cup-equivalent for less expensive fruits and vegetables by MyPyramid subgroup including whole and cut fruit, fruit juice, dark green vegetables, orange vegetables, starchy vegetables, other vegetables, and legumes. Results In 2008, a variety of fruits and vegetables was available for an average cost of $0.40 to $0.50 per cup-equivalent. MyPyramid fruit and vegetable recommendations could be satisfied at this cost level. Conclusions and Implications Low-income Americans facing national average food prices can satisfy MyPyramid fruit and vegetable guidelines with a budget equal to the Thrifty Food Plan allocation to fruits and vegetables. However, many low-income households spend too much money on food that is low in fruit and vegetable content. Some money should be reallocated to fruits and vegetables.

Households living in different communities pay different amounts of money for food. Food costs depend on whether a household lives in an urban community or in a locality with a high incidence of poverty, among other factors. This study focuses on spatial variation across the United States in the retail costs for fresh vegetables and salty snacks. Findings reveal that the major economic and demographic characteristics of a household’s community affect its costs for these two types of foods differently. However, households are likely to pay more money for salty snacks in communities where fresh vegetables also cost more.

Building on research with unit values, we demonstrate how a household's per serving and total vegetable expenditures depend on both the characteristics of the household and on its location. The lower a household's income, for example, the lower is vegetable spending, all else constant. However, households living in communities with high real estate prices, or with a high incidence of poverty, among other things, tend to pay more. Simulations further illustrate the effect that a community's characteristics can have on a household's vegetable spending, if the household lives in each of 10 cities in the United States.

The demand for vegetables is expected to increase with trends in the population of the United States. For example, having a college education increases demand, and more Americans are completing college. However, the possibility of a cohort effect has not been considered. A cohort includes people born in the same year, and is similar in concept to a generation. Using data collected over more than twenty years, we find younger cohorts spend less money on fresh vegetables for at-home consumption than their older counterparts do. These effects will decrease demand over time. Changing cooking habits may explain this effect. Copyright 2008, Oxford University Press.

Vector error correction models (VECM) are used to model price transmission when farm and retail prices are cointegrated. To allow for nonlinearity in the cointegration process, researchers may specify thresholds to break the error correction process into regimes according to whether the retail price is above, below, or close to its equilibrium value given farm prices. However, because the coefficients in a VECM can change when there is movement from one regime to another, the model can be discontinuous. This implies sudden, “hard” regime changes. In this study, we extend the threshold VECM to include features of smooth transition autoregression (STAR) models. Our approach allows for gradual, soft regime changes. An empirical application to retail cheese and farm milk prices is presented.

Food assistance programs in the United States provide low-income households with the resources to purchase a healthy, nutritious, and palatable diet, if they buy the market baskets of food outlined in the Thrifty Food Plan. This study compares the cost of these baskets with actual spending on food at home by low-income households. Simulations reveal at-home food spending by low-income households to represent only 86% of what is needed to follow the Thrifty Food Plan. Married couples with children and female-headed households with children spend only 73% and 82%, respectively, and just 43% and 50% for at-home fruits and vegetables.

Americans are being encouraged to consume a wider variety of vegetables. For example, the 5 A Day campaign has recently changed its message to emphasize variety. This study identifies factors influencing the variety of vegetables purchased by households. The results suggest that, if social marketing campaigns are to be revised to promote the consumption of a varied mix of vegetables, then traditional marketing campaigns may be a reasonable starting point. However, campaign designers may want to further focus on obstacles associated with household characteristics, such as children's tastes and working parents. Copyright 2005, Oxford University Press.

The American consumer is obtaining more-and-more of his or her food at a restaurant, and that worries some people concerned with the Nation’s dietary health. To date, much of this concern seems to be directed at the fast food segment of the restaurant industry. This paper asks whether targeting one segment of the industry, such as fast food restaurants, is justified, or whether a more balanced view of eating away from home is required. To answer this question, we look to the future and ask whether Americans can be expected to purchase increasingly more fast food or more-and-more of the foods typically associated with full-service dining. One view is that sales at full-service restaurants will now grow relatively faster than sales of fast food. The argument supporting this position rests on rising incomes, the aging of the population, smaller household sizes, and other changes taking place in the population. Using a new full-information maximum likelihood procedure for estimating a system of censored expenditure equations, we find evidence to support this argument.

The Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 1998 (OSRA) promotes changes in international ocean liner shipping. An important policy issue attendant to the passage of OSRA is the Act's likely impact on the international competitiveness of the sectors that depend upon ocean shipping. Thus, to establish how freight rates and other logistical costs of using ocean liner services are now determined, this study examines emerging methods of organization and contracting among exporters of food and forest products. We find that, although many shippers negotiate private contracts with carriers, many others utilize a third-party agent to negotiate a rate with a carrier on their behalf. This article also identifies differences between two key types of third-party agents. Finally, given that a shipper in this trade does not contract directly with a carrier, this article explains the shipper's conditional choice about which type of agent to use. [EconLit citations: L140, L980, Q130]. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Agribusiness 19: 459–472, 2003.

This article focuses on food away from home in the United States, changes in this market over time, and how these changes raise questions for policymakers and others concerned about both agriculture and diet quality. Changes in what people eat can also affect nutrient intake and overall health. Model of household production provides a theoretical framework within which researchers can analyze the demand for food away from home. This article also states that empirical research also demonstrates the importance of a household's demographic characteristics. It also suggests how the size of the market for food away from home could change over time. Demographic trends in the population contributing to changes in demand are also discussed. The growing popularity of food away from home suggests that this market will be ever more important to the welfare of both consumers and agriculture.

Farm milk prices tend to be volatile. Dairy farmers, industry pundits, and policymakers further tend to react to price volatility with alarm. One point of concern is the response of retail prices. This study investigates farm-to-retail price transmission in the 2000s for whole milk and cheddar cheese. Results show that price shocks at the farm gate are transmitted with delay and asymmetry to retail. Differences in the nature of price transmission for whole milk and cheddar cheese prices are also identified. Key Words: asymmetric price transmission, cointegration, dairy prices, error correction models (ProQuest: ... denotes formulae omitted.) Price volatility in U.S. dairy markets is not "new" but, because it affects farm receipts and the ability of producers to maintain operations, it continues to generate questions about market structure and performance. The most recent incidence of volatility occurred in 2007-2009. Milk prices received by dairy farmers fluctuated between $18 and $22 per cwt (100 pounds) from May 2007 through September 2008 before falling below $12 per cwt in February 2009.1 A similar pattern of farm price movements took place between May 2004 and May 2006. Recent price volatility has been unique in some ways. Low farm milk prices in late 2008 throughout 2009 coincided with higher than previous feed prices. The annual average feed cost2 was $4.69 per cwt between 2000 and 2006. It then rose to $7.75 per cwt between 2007 and 2009, an increase of 65 percent. The cost-price squeeze in 2009 was devastating for dairy farmers. Milk producers in the Northeast, for example, responded to their cash flow and debt repayment situations by, among other things, drawing down liquidity gained in 2007 and 2008 (Putnam 2010). Total industry losses were estimated at over $6 billion (Elam 2010). Questions about market structure and performance often generated by volatility include questions about the behavior of retail food prices. According to the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), when the farm price of milk increases, marketers quickly pass higher prices on to consumers. By contrast, when farm prices decrease, marketers adjust retail prices slowly in order to increase their profits. The net effect, says the AFBF, is a wider farm-to-retail price spread (AFBF 2003). Debate over this matter grew more intense when retail prices appeared to change relatively little as farm prices dropped in late 2008 and early 2009. In February 2009, the Cheese Reporter, a trade publication, ran an editorial "Sometimes, Retail Dairy Prices Do the Strangest Things" (Groves 2009, p. 2). At various times during 2009, it was claimed that large fluid milk processors were engaging in anticompetitive practices, claims that prompted a decision to hold hearings/workshops the following year. Over the course of 2010, the U.S. Department of Justice (USDOJ) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) held a series of five workshops on competition and regulatory issues in agriculture (USDOJ and USDA 2010). One work- shop focused on the dairy industry and another focused on farm-to-retail price spreads for foods, including meat and dairy products. Existing research corroborates the fears of dairy farmers, pundits, and policymakers. In a seminal study, Kinnucan and Forker (1987) find that price transmission is asymmetric for dairy products. Symmetry would require retail prices to adjust with equal speed and completeness, up when farm prices rise and down when they fall. The analysis finds instead asymmetry similar to that described by the AFBF. However, since data from 1971 through 1981 were used, Kinnucan and Forker's (1987) conclusions may not apply to recent events. The question of farm-to-retail price transmission has been revisited often for U.S. fluid milk prices. Lass, Adanu, and Allen (2001) examined fluid milk prices in the Hartford, Connecticut, and Boston, Massachusetts markets between January 1982 and June 1998. …

The aims of this study were, first, to examine the metabolic consequences for female rats of having unrestricted access to 10% sucrose solution and, second, to test for effects of this dietary intervention on their offspring. In Stage 1 females were mated following a 4-week period in which one group was given the sucrose in addition to their normal chow and a control group was given chow and water only. Sucrose was removed at parturition and the pups monitored until weaning. Despite the development of glucose intolerance in sucrose-fed mothers, no effects were detected on litter size or pup weights. In Stage 2 voluntary activity of offspring was assessed over postnatal days (PND) 51-60 and their glucose tolerance measured at PND89-94. Again no effect of maternal diet was detected. Only male offspring were used in Stage 3, which began when they were 13 weeks old. Four groups were given 10% sucrose solution for 48 days in a 2 x 2 design, in which one factor was maternal diet and the other was whether they were given 2-h access to an activity wheel on alternate days. Higher fasting glucose levels were found in offspring of sugar-fed mothers. Exercise increased insulin sensitivity in these rats but not in offspring of control mothers. Behavioural measures of memory in Stage 3 did not reveal any effects of maternal diet or exercise. Overall, this study suggested that, while providing 10% sucrose solution ad-libitum was sufficient to impair maternal metabolism, the impact of this dietary manipulation on offspring may be revealed only when the offspring's diet is similarly manipulated.

Increased away-from-home eating is associated with lower diet quality, and may contribute to the increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity. Healthier food choices in restaurants may help mitigate the rise in obesity and improve diet quality. This study sought to understand the views of executives at major U.S. restaurant chains regarding the process, motivation for, and challenges of offering healthier options on their menus.The Healthy Menu Study used in-depth structured telephone interviews with 41 senior menu development and marketing executives at leading casual dining and fast-food restaurant chains. The interview guide covered menu trends, influences on introduction and continuation of new menu items, and barriers to adding healthy foods. Data analysis included tabulation of responses, identification of themes, and examination of subgroup differences.Growing sales and increasing profits are the most important considerations, mentioned by 61% of respondents; health and nutrition were noted as important by 21%. Restaurants may try to avoid losing groups with a "health seeker" by offering healthier foods (low in fat and calories, more fruits and vegetables) (27% of chains), but operators believe demand for healthier foods is not widespread. Additional obstacles to including healthier menu items are short shelf life of produce (46%), increased preparation time, low sales, and high labor costs.Not surprisingly, profit margins are the primary determinants of why restaurants do or do not add and continue to serve healthier food options. Without an increase in consumer demand, it is unlikely the restaurant industry will increase their offering of healthy food choices. Insight into the restaurant industry perspective is important for developing promising strategies to encourage healthier eating patterns.

This study examines spatial variation in the price and accessibility of fast food across a major urban area. We use novel data on the price of a representative fast food meal and the location of fast food restaurants belonging to one of three major chains in the District of Columbia and its surrounding suburbs. These data are used to test a structural model of spatial competition. The results of this study are easily interpreted and compared with a past analysis. We find that spatial differences in costs and demand conditions drive variation in the number of firms operating in a market, which in turn affects prices.