|
|
 |
 Printer-friendly
format
Download PDF version 
Email this page
Got Milk? Implications of Generational and Aging Effects
Whymilk.com
|
As people age, their eating patterns change. The dishes of youth—foot-long
hotdogs, spicy Buffalo wings, and beer—are often replaced
by broiled fish, baked potatoes, and high-bran cereal as a person’s
metabolism slows and health concerns become more central to well-being.
Generational effects also shape food choices. People born during
the 1920s and 1930s generally grew up eating more typical “American
fare”—eggs for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch, and
pot roasts for dinner. Younger generations have had more exposure
in their early years to McDonald’s Happy Meals and the cuisines
of Southeast Asia and Latin America brought by America’s
more recent immigrants. “Generation X” tends to eat
away from home more often than their grandparents do.
Aging and generational effects can influence spending on specific
food groups. ERS researchers looked at the impact of both of these
effects on per capita spending for milk, cheese, ice cream, and
other dairy products bought in supermarkets, convenience stores,
and other food stores. They found that both the aging of the U.S.
population and the succession of the generations are working against
at-home spending on dairy products.
Per capita, at-home spending on dairy products, adjusted for
inflation, was estimated for eight generational groups, starting
with group 1, who were 26-30 years old in 1982, and ending with
group 8, who were 61-65 years old in the same year. The analysis
followed each generational group over time, ending in 1995. In
addition, we included 14 age intervals (ages 26-65) in the analysis
to capture the aging effect independently from the generational
effect.
The research found that older generations spend more on dairy
products consumed at home than their children and grandchildren.
For example, the second group spent about 6 cents more per capita
per week than group 1, while the oldest group spent about 80 cents
more. The effect of aging was common to all generational groups.
Per capita, at-home spending on dairy products falls as people
age: compared with a 26-year old, those age 32-35 spend about 16
cents less per capita per week for dairy products, while those
65 and older spend about 58 cents less.
Taken together, these findings indicate that per capita, at-home
spending on dairy products is likely to continue to decline. Population
changes and food spending trends in the away-from-home-market must
be examined to determine how total spending on dairy products in
the U.S. will change over time.
|
