Working Paper: NBER ID: w18750
Authors: Pierre Dubois; Rachel Griffith; Aviv Nevo
Abstract: Food purchases differ substantially across countries. We use detailed household level data from the US, France and the UK to (i) document these differences; (ii) estimate a demand system for food and nutrients, and (iii) simulate counterfactual choices if households faced prices and nutritional characteristics from other countries. We find that differences in prices and characteristics are important and can explain some difference (e.g., US-France difference in caloric intake), but generally cannot explain many of the compositional patterns by themselves. Instead, it seems an interaction between the economic environment and differences in preferences is needed to explain cross country differences.
Keywords: Food Purchases; International Differences; Demand System; Nutritional Characteristics
JEL Codes: D12; I18; L10
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| prices (P22) | caloric intake (D10) |
| nutritional characteristics (L66) | caloric intake (D10) |
| preferences (D11) | caloric intake (D10) |
| economic environment (P42) | food purchases (L81) |
| prices (French) (P22) | caloric intake (US) (N72) |