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Consumer demand for diet quality: evidence from the healthy eating index

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  • Gao, Zhifeng
  • Yu, Xiaohua
  • Lee, Jonq-Ying

Abstract

Few studies have been performed to use the detailed healthy eating index (HEI) to estimate consumer demand for diet quality. In this article, we apply household production theory to systematically estimate consumer demand for diet quality using the HEI developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The results show that consumers have insufficient consumption of food containing dark green and orange vegetables, legumes and whole grains. Age and education have a significant impact on consumer demand for diet quality, but income does not. The own-price elasticities of demand for diet quality are inelastic. Simulation of tax scenarios indicates that a tax on sugar-sweetened beverage may be more efficient than a tax on fats, oils and salad dressing in improving consumer diet quality. This information is critical for policies and programs that are designed to improve healthy food choices, thereby reducing the social cost of public health.

Suggested Citation

  • Gao, Zhifeng & Yu, Xiaohua & Lee, Jonq-Ying, 2013. "Consumer demand for diet quality: evidence from the healthy eating index," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 57(3).
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:aareaj:245948
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.245948
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    2. Xin Su & Haolong Liu & Shunqi Hou, 2018. "The Trilateral Evolutionary Game of Agri-Food Quality in Farmer-Supermarket Direct Purchase: A Simulation Approach," Complexity, Hindawi, vol. 2018, pages 1-11, February.
    3. Radwan, Amr & Gil, Jose M., 2015. "Can Price Intervention Policies Improve Diet Quality in Spain?," 2015 Conference, August 9-14, 2015, Milan, Italy 212698, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    4. Ryan Storr & Julia Carins & Sharyn Rundle-Thiele, 2019. "Assessing Support for Advantaged and Disadvantaged Groups: A Comparison of Urban Food Environments," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(7), pages 1-10, March.
    5. Ning Wei & Dingqiang Sun, 2023. "Children’s education and parents’ dietary nutrient intake: an empirical study based on rural China," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-13, December.
    6. Jiajun Zhou & Sirimaporn Leepromrath & Xu Tian & De Zhou, 2020. "Dynamics of Chinese Diet Divergence from Chinese Food Pagoda and Its Association with Adiposity and Influential Factors: 2004–2011," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(2), pages 1-22, January.
    7. Yingying Huang & Hui Wang & Xu Tian, 2016. "Changing Diet Quality in China during 2004–2011," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-14, December.
    8. Zhou, De & Yu, Xiaohua & Herzfeld, Thomas, 2015. "Dynamic food demand in urban China," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 7(1), pages 27-44.
    9. Tian, Xu & Yu, Xiaohua, 2015. "Using semiparametric models to study nutrition improvement and dietary change with different indices: The case of China," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 67-81.
    10. Dong, Zefeng & Gao, Zhifeng & Lee, Jonq-Ying, 2015. "Food Choice and Sodium Intake in the American Diet," 2015 Annual Meeting, January 31-February 3, 2015, Atlanta, Georgia 196695, Southern Agricultural Economics Association.

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