May 30, 2002 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Small rise in spending on food away from home in 2000

Spending on food away from home rose 1.0 percent in 2000. This was the smallest increase in such expenditures in several years.

Percent change in average annual expenditures on food away from home, 1997-2000
[Chart data—TXT]

The modest increase in food-away-from-home expenditures in 2000 was preceded by increases of 4.2 percent in 1999, 5.7 percent in 1998, and 5.4 percent in 1997. 

Overall, spending on food rose 2.5 percent in 2000, following an increase of 4.6 percent in 1999. Expenditures on food at home were up 3.6 percent in 2000, after rising 4.9 percent in 1999.

The Consumer Expenditure Survey is the source of these data. Find out more in "Consumer Expenditures in 2000" (PDF 215K), Issues in Labor Statistics, BLS Report 958.

Happy 10th Birthday, TED!

The very first issue of The Editor's Desk (TED) was posted on September 28, 1998. TED was the first online-only publication of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. For 10 years, BLS has been committed to posting a new TED article each business day, for a total of over 2,400 articles so far.

Find out more about the story of TED