How can the US food system deliver food products consistent with the dietary guidelines? Food marketing and retailing: an economist's view

For consumers' diets to conform to the recommendations outlined by the Food Guide Pyramid (FCP), the consumption of fat and sugar would have to de-din e and fruits and diary products would need to increase. This study analyzed the impact of changing the prices of aggregate food groups, as designated in the Food Guide Pyramid, on the number of servings that would be eaten. U sing the results of this analysis, the subsequent impact on the Healthy Eat ing Index (HEI) score was determined. A series of calculations involving ex isting price and income elasticities and linkages between these elasticitie s and servings of food in the Food Guide Pyramid were employed. This study found that lowering the price of fruits, meats and dairy products would res ult in food consumption that more closely conforms to the FGP servings reco mmendations but the changes are small and HEI scores would not improve. Low ering the price of meat increases consumption of all foods (except added su gars) since lower meat prices frees up income to spend on other food. The d ownside of increasing meat consumption is that it also increases the consum ption of discretionary fat more than it increases the consumption of fruits and vegetables or grains. Fat prices would have to be increased 15% to ach ieve a 1% decrease in fat consumption which would raise the HEI score. Publ ic policy to promote healthful diets involves more than changing food price s or household income. Information and education about diet and health link s are critical. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.