July 06, 2006 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Asian households and spending on food at home

Does the allocation of food-at-home spending by Asian households in the United States differ from households of other races? A recent BLS analysis suggests the answer is "yes."

[Chart data—TXT]

In 2003, almost one-quarter of the Asian households’ food-at-home expenditures was allocated to fruits and vegetables. In contrast, fruits and vegetables composed about one-sixth of other households’ food-at-home expenditures.

Meats made up 30.1 percent of Asian households’ food-at-home expenditures, with seafood composing 9.8 percent. In contrast, meats composed 26.6 percent of other households’ food-at-home expenditures, with a smaller share to seafood (3.8 percent).

The expenditure shares of dairy (7.5 percent versus 10.7 percent for other households) and fats and oils (1.8 percent versus 2.8 percent for other households) were significantly lower for Asian households.

These data come from the Consumer Expenditure Survey. Find out more in "Food-at-home expenditures of Asian households," by Shiao-Lin Shirley Tsai and Lucilla Tan, Monthly Labor Review Online.