(Selected research findings from FY 23)
Prevalence of the “Natural” Label Varies by Food Category
Based on scanner data and comprehensive label data, this report estimated the size of the market for foods labeled “natural,” and the frequency with which suppliers make the "natural" claim on food packaging. Estimates were made for the share of all foods sold at retail, major food groups, and component foods. The report found that the frequency with which foods are labeled “natural” varies by food group. For example, 95.6 percent of vitamin and supplement expenditures were for products labeled “natural,” and 0.5 percent of expenditures for potatoes were for products labeled “natural.”
One-Third of households with children paying for school meals reported that doing so contributed to financial hardship
Using data from the Household Pulse Survey, this economic brief presents the first insights about the relationship between the cost of school meals and households’ financial hardship during the 2022-2023 school year and after the expiration of USDA’s free meals waiver. Overall, 31.6 percent of households with children aged 5–17 that paid for school meals reported that doing so made it difficult for them to pay for other usual expenses. The share reporting the same among households with incomes below 225 percent of the FPL and non-White households was higher than the overall share. These findings can inform ongoing discussions about the impact of USDA’s free meals waiver expiration on households and legislative proposals to expand access to free meals.
COVID-19 working paper measures changes in U.S. adult obesity rates during the first year of the pandemic
This COVID-19 working paper measures changes in U.S. adult obesity rates overall and across a wide variety of demographic and socioeconomic subgroups during the first year of the pandemic—March 2020 to March 2021. While the U.S. obesity rate significantly increased by 1.3 percentage points (pp) in the overall adult population during the first year of the pandemic, pronounced increases occurred among younger adults aged 20–39 (2.0 pp), adults with a household income eligible for SNAP benefits (2.5 pp), adults residing in the West Census region (2.8 pp), and adults with less than a high school diploma (3.3 pp).
On average, 41.2 million people participated in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) each month, 0.8 percent fewer than in FY 2021
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) administers 15 domestic food and nutrition assistance programs. In response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, USDA launched additional temporary programs and implemented numerous policy changes that expanded the scope and coverage of existing programs. Together, these programs contributed to $183 billion in spending on food and nutrition assistance programs in fiscal year (FY) 2022.
Food security in 83 low-and middle-income countries is estimated to improve in 2023 relative to 2022
ERS annually publishes the International Food Security Assessment (IFSA) report to inform U.S. policymakers as well as international donor organizations of the food security situation in 83 low- and middle-income countries. Food security is estimated to improve in 2023 relative to 2022, due to an average of 3.7 percent growth in per capita GDP and relative easing of international and domestic food commodity price levels.
At the county level, food retail market concentration rose 94 percent between 1990 and 2019
This report investigates the changes in the market concentration—a measure of the extent to which market shares are concentrated between firms of the retail food sector at the national, State, Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), and county levels in the United States over the 1990–2019 period. Food retailing market concentration at the county level is considerably higher than at the national, State, and MSA levels. However, the food retailing market concentration at the national level increased at a much faster pace than it did at the county level (458 percent, compared to 94 percent) from 1990 to 2019.
ERS researchers find the density of total vegetables consumed increased with age
This report updates previous research to include data from all nationally representative food consumption surveys collected for 1977–2018 to better understand how food at home (FAH) and food away from home (FAFH) nutritional qualities evolved over time across various demographic populations, as well as how observed diets compare with Federal dietary guidance. The researchers also examined differences in dietary quality across several demographics, including age, gender, race and ethnicity, household income, and education among adults aged 20 and above.
Adults 65 years old and above consumed the most whole-grain-dense diets across all time periods
This study examines trends in whole-grain intakes of U.S. residents by age and food source using national datasets spanning 1994–2018. Food sources include food at home (FAH)—food purchased at grocery stores and other retailers to be eaten either at home or away such as a brown bag lunch—versus food away from home (FAFH), which includes food purchased at restaurants, fast-food establishments and similar sources, and at schools.
The Food Safety Modernization Act has not had a major negative effect on Mexico's horticultural export sector
The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) was designed to improve the capacity to prevent food safety problems and detect and respond to such problems, as well as to improve the safety of imported food. In response to FSMA’s new requirements, Mexican horticultural companies made changes to equipment, invested in new infrastructure, and implemented monitoring programs featuring improved sampling techniques—many of which were connected to ensuring a supply of clean water throughout the production process.
ERS examines food purchasing behaviors before and during the early onset of the COVID-19 pandemic
This COVID-19 Working Paper uses the Consumer Expenditure Diary Survey to examine food purchasing behaviors before (2016–19) and during the early onset of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020). As U.S. households shifted away from meals from full-service restaurants, they purchased more food and beverages at grocery stores and other food-at-home (FAH) establishments. Increased FAH spending was driven by higher spending on protein foods, fruits, vegetables, and other FAH (e.g., desserts, prepared meals and salads). However, these increases were uneven across food categories and subpopulations. The largest increases in the FAH share between 2016–19 and 2020 were among single households without children, non-Hispanic Asian households, and in the Northeast. The largest decreases in the food-away-from-home (FAFH) share were among non-Hispanic Asian households and in the Northeast.
Real food retail sales during the second year of the pandemic were 6.6 percent higher compared to pre-pandemic levels
This COVID-19 Working Paper summarizes national trends in the level and composition of food retail sales associated with the pandemic. For the first 2 years of the pandemic, between the declaration of the national emergency concerning the pandemic on March 13, 2020, and March 13, 2022, real food retail sales increased by roughly 10 percent compared to pre-pandemic levels. Changes in real food retail sales generally mirrored changes in the number of transactions taking place at food service establishments, but during March and April 2020, real food retail sales rose faster than the rate at which the number of food service transactions fell.
In an income-driven food demand scenario, production of world crop calories would increase by 47 percent from 2011 to 2050
The global land base is under increasing pressure to provide food for a growing population. Rising incomes have historically implied increasing consumption of animal products, along with an increased need for feed. To date, steady increases in agricultural productivity have allowed agricultural production to keep up with a growing population and per capita increases in food consumption. Results of the study show that demand for food calories and crop calories increases over time in all scenarios, with most of the adjustment through increases in crop yield (intensification). The amount of cropland also increases (extensification) but less on a percentage basis.
States with bans on confined or caged egg production, on average, account for over 41 percent of U.S. shell egg exports
This report examines State farm animal welfare laws enacted since 2002 to better understand the timing, scope, and geographic distribution of market impacts on livestock industries, as well as the legal and legislative environment surrounding these policies. Ten States have enacted policies that prohibit the confinement of hens beyond a minimum space requirement or the use of cages in poultry and egg production. By 2026, 17 percent of U.S. egg-laying operations will be covered by these restrictions, an increase from approximately 3 percent of operations in 2021.