Dairy product purchasing in households with and without children

Abstract

Dairy products are considered a staple in the American diet due in part to their nutritious content and appealing flavor. Consumption patterns may differ among age segments influenced by preferences for fat content and taste in dairy. Furthermore, having children in their household may influence the amount, frequency, and type of dairy products that a consumer chooses to purchase. This study finds that households that frequently bought food for children generally purchased larger quantities of fluid milk and more fluid milk with a higher fat content. Households with children also bought yogurt more frequently than other households. Labeling information of interest to the largest proportion of respondents was price; unsurprisingly, expiration date was second most common on meat, eggs, or milk product packaging. Although the scientific and cultural debate of the benefit or harm of consuming dairy continues, it is clear that the segment of the population that frequently purchases food for children is interested in dairy as part of the diet of the children. It would be interesting to see whether this finding has a spillover effect on the consumption habits of adults making the purchases. Future studies can build on this work by evaluating whether there is a spillover effect from purchasing specifically for children and the general dairy and protein product purchasing habits of those households.