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The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point System for meat and poultry processing will benefit consumers by reducing food-borne illnesses. The benefits are likely to exceed the additional costs from implementing the regulations. (SK)

Policymakers are considering various policies to reduce obesity and its associated costs, including consumption taxes on high-calorie foods and specifically sweetened foods. We investigate two tax policies to reduce added sweetener consumption: a consumption tax on sweetened goods and a sweetener input tax. Both tax instruments can reach the same policy target of reducing added sweetener consumption and are found to be regressive. The tax on sweetener inputs targets sweeteners directly and leads to a loss in consumer surplus that is only one-fifth of that caused by the final consumption tax. Previous analyses have overlooked this important point. (JEL 118, Q18), I. INTRODUCTION Obesity has become a major public health concern in the United States, with relatively high obesity rates persisting among adults (Regal et al. 2010). Obesity is most often [...]

To purchase or authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6237.2008.00523.x Byline: Sonya Kostova Huffman (1), Helen H. Jensen (1) Abstract: Objective. Food assistance programs play an important role in meeting the basic needs of low-income households. We consider how the Food Stamp Program (FSP), labor force participation, and food insecurity status affect outcomes of low-income households under different program designs and economic conditions. Methods. Data from the Survey of Program Dynamics allow estimation of the effects of participation in FSP, labor market participation, and food insecurity on each other. To obtain estimates of behavioral relationships, we apply a simultaneous equation model and make a set of plausible assumptions about identification to implement the instrumental variable estimation. Results. Food insecurity has a positive effect on FSP participation, while labor force participation reduces FSP participation. Furthermore, FSP participation is more responsive to changes in the amount of program benefits than to changes in nonlabor income. Labor force participation has no direct effect on food insecurity; although not statistically significant, the effect of FSP participation on food insecurity is positive. A higher wage rate decreases FSP participation and increases participation in the labor force. Conclusion. The structural approach, which relies on particular identifying assumptions, allows us to explicity examine linkages among food program participation, labor force participation, and well-being, measured in terms of food insecurity. The results provide evidence that among low-income households, program parameters affect FSP participation, but no evidence that the food assistance reduces food insecurity. Author Affiliation: (1)Iowa State University

Objective To provide information about meat consumption and factors that explain differences among subpopulations, and to evaluate how knowledge and attitudes about nutrition and awareness of diet and health influence meat consumption. Design The 1994-1996 Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals provided two nonconsecutive 24-hour recalls. The Diet and Health Knowledge Survey was administered at least 1 week after the last 24-hour recall. Meat subgroups (chicken, beef, pork, and processed pork products) were calculated from Food Guide Pyramid meat groups by using recipe ingredients. Subjects The study sample included 4,802 children and 9,460 adults from the Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals and 5,649 adults from the Diet and Health Knowledge Survey. Statistics Weighted percentages and means described the food intake and self-assessed dietary characteristics. Relationships among types of meat intake, dietary characteristics, and demographics were evaluated using a two-stage, multivariate regression model. Results Individuals in higher income households consumed relatively more chicken; those in low-income households consumed more processed pork products. Those consuming no beef and smaller amounts of chicken had the lowest discretionary fat intakes. Beef and pork consumers were more likely to think that their diets were too high in fat, but less likely to believe it is important to eat a low-fat diet. Region of residence affected the probability of consuming most meats. Having a high level of education was associated with a lower likelihood of consuming beef and pork. Conclusions Sociodemographic factors are strong predictors of the probability of choosing particular types of meat and of the amounts eaten. Knowledge and attitudes about diet and meat products also influence choices. J Am Diet Assoc. 2005;105:1266-1274.

Over the last decade, new information has been developed and collected to measure the extent of food insecurity and hunger in the United States. Common measurement of the phenomenon of hunger and food insecurity has become possible through efforts of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to develop a set of survey questions that can be used to obtain estimates of the prevalence and severity of food insecurity. We evaluated the measurement of food insecurity and the effect of household variables on measured food insecurity. The effects of demographic and survey-specific variables on the food insecurity/ hunger scale were evaluated using a generalized linear model with mixed effects. Data came from the 1995, 1997 and 1999 Food Security Module of the Current Population Survey. The results generally validated the model currently used by the USDA. In addition, our approach made it possible to consider the effect of demographics and several survey design variables on food security among measurably food-insecure households, as well as interactions between these factors and the food security questions. The analysis of the expanded model with the 1995 data found results similar to those reported based on the Rasch model used by the USDA. Even though the sample size was reduced and a number of screening and questionnaire changes were introduced in 1997 and 1999, the results for those years appear mostly unchanged and confirm the robustness of the scale in measuring food insecurity. There is some evidence that interpretation of questions may vary among different demographic groups. KEY WORDS: * food insecurity * household hunger * Rasch model

The health belief model was evaluated for its ability to predict perceived and actual dietary quality. The assessment relied upon data collected from 1,502 respondents by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in its 1991 Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals and the Diet and Health Knowledge Survey. The health belief model provided good prediction of perceived dietary quality, but provided moderate to weak prediction of 7 measures of actual dietary quality that were calculated from food intake records. Implications are suggested for using the health belief model to understand the determinants of dietary quality.

The relative importance of sociological and economic variables for predicting implementation by non-adopters and confirmation by adopters of U.S. beef was examined using data collected from a nationwide sample of 991 Japanese consumers. Implementation and confirmation decisions were evaluated at two stages of the innovation-decision process: symbolic adoption/acceptance and intent to use/continue using. In examining these decisions, socioeconomic variables were specified as both product characteristics and as market and infrastructure contingencies. As hypothesized by Klonglan and Coward (1970), at both the implementation and confirmation stages, sociological variables had more impact than economic ones on symbolic adoption, while the impact of economic variables outweighed that of sociological variables on intent to eat U.S. beef. Although economic and sociological variables played complementary roles within the innovation-decision process, both types of variables were better predictors of intent when specified as market and infrastructure contingencies rather than as product characteristics.

The purpose of this study was to develop tests for measuring nutrition knowledge and diet-health awareness using items appearing in the 1989-1991 Diet and Health Knowledge Surveys. The development and evaluation of these tests relied upon estimates of their reliability and their discriminant, convergent, correspondence, and representative validity. The reliability estimates for the 23-item nutrition knowledge test were less than 0.70 for all three surveys. The reliability estimates for the 27-item diet-health awareness test were greater than 0.70 for all three surveys. Both tests received support for discriminant and convergent validity. The correspondence validity of both tests with three measures of dietary quality was low. Implications are made for further research on tests of nutrition knowledge and knowledge structures and for the relationships of these constructs to dietary behavior.