Australians have almost doubled the amount of food they eat over the past 20 years according to research conducted by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES).
Executive Director of ABARES, Steve Hatfield-Dodds attributed the cause to recent population growth saying that while a lot of attention had been focused on performance in export markets, domestic producers had been successful in competing for a growing share of household expenditure as incomes increased.
“The good news story of this research is that while household food consumption expenditure continues to grow, so do our net food exports,” Dr Hatfield-Dodds said.
“Household food budgets as a share of after-tax income have fallen overall since 1988-89, flattening out in recent years.”
He said the real story was not just how much people were eating, but what they were eating, “and that depends on how much you earn”.
“Higher income households have shown a willingness to pay a premium for quality food, while price is a key factor in the way lower income households shop for their food,” Dr Hatfield-Dodds said.
“There is a trend across the whole Australian population to spend more on eating meals out and fast foods.”
He said eating out and eating fast foods now made up 34 per cent of household food spending, up from 25 per cent in 1988–89.
ABARES’ Food demand in Australia: trends and issues 2018 includes data on food consumption by income, age and net worth; production and trade analysis; and, an examination of food security issues.
The 70-page report can be accessed at this PS New link.
