Food consumption, its aspects and consequences

Abstract

Food consumption recording is a social need because the consumption is an indicator of the nutrition status that means the health status, of the population, and an economic factor. Food consumption trends in the nineties are characterized by a steep fall of most kinds of foods, mainly from animal sources. It is not necessary to adjust this fact with respect to recent data of the time series. Four commodities show a positive increase. The trend of food consumption is bound up with more slowly increasing incomes of the population than was the increase in food prices after their liberalization. The consequences of consumption trends do not imply any deterioration of nutrition status because nutrition requirements have been met except calcium and vitamin A supply due to a decrease in milk consumption, and except vitamin C, still a deficient element although its supply has substantially increased. A systematic attention should be focused on the population nutrition through nutrition and food policies.

Keywords

• food economics
• food consumption
• food prices
• nutritive value
• nutrition and food policy