May 16, 2006 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Spending on food in 2004

Spending increases in 2004 on both food at home (7.0 percent) and food away from home (10.1 percent) were larger than they had been in several years, contributing to the 8.3-percent increase in overall food spending.

[Chart data—TXT]

The increase in average annual expenditures on food in 2004 followed a slight decrease (–0.7 percent) in 2003 and a 1.0-percent increase in 2002.

The increase in spending on food at home in 2004 was spread across the major food components, with the following significant increases: meats, poultry, fish, and eggs, 6.7 percent; dairy products, 13.1 percent; fruits and vegetables, 4.9 percent; and other food at home, 7.6 percent. 

Spending on food away from home, which includes items such as restaurant meals, catered affairs, and food on out-of-town trips, rose 10 percent or more in the Northeast (12.2 percent), Midwest (10.0 percent), and South (12.0 percent), but less in the West (5.8 percent).

These data come from the Consumer Expenditure Survey. Find out more in "Consumer Expenditures in 2004," (PDF 371 K), BLS Report 992.