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Food consumption away from home had divergent impacts on diet nutrition quality across urban and rural China

Author

Listed:
  • Huaqing Wu

    (Beijing Normal University
    Beijing Normal University
    Beijing Normal University)

  • Zhao Zhang

    (Beijing Normal University
    Beijing Normal University)

  • Jialu Xu

    (Beijing Normal University
    Beijing Normal University)

  • Jie Song

    (Beijing Normal University
    Beijing Normal University
    Beijing Normal University)

  • Jichong Han

    (Beijing Normal University
    Beijing Normal University
    Beijing Normal University)

  • Jing Zhang

    (Beijing Normal University)

  • Qinghang Mei

    (Beijing Normal University
    Beijing Normal University
    Beijing Normal University)

  • Fei Cheng

    (Beijing Normal University
    Beijing Normal University
    Beijing Normal University)

  • Huimin Zhuang

    (Beijing Normal University
    Beijing Normal University)

  • Shaokun Li

    (Beijing Normal University
    Beijing Normal University)

Abstract

China's rapid economic growth has led to a significant increase in the number of people who are eating away from home. However, some studies show that increased meat consumption poses a health burden while others show dietary diversity promoted by away from home enhances health. As a result, the effects of away from home on dietary nutritional quality remain inconclusive. Moreover, estimates of total food consumption are underestimated without considering away from home. Herein, we constructed away from home models (R2 = 0.59) to assess its impacts on the quantity and quality of food consumption. By 2020, away from home accounted for 18% (233.37 g) of total consumption in urban areas and 8% (81.80 g) in rural areas. Although, at the national scale, away from home consumption of meat, poultry, and aquatic products led to decreased dietary nutritional quality in urban areas from 2000 to 2020 and in rural areas since 2015, by 2020, three urban provinces and 12 rural provinces still showed improvements in dietary nutritional quality from such consumption. Additionally, overall dietary nutritional quality of away from home impact in urban areas improved from 2000 to 2015 but decreased in 2020, whereas rural areas saw consistent improvement across all years, suggesting the divergent impacts on diet nutrition quality across urban and rural China. Our findings underscore the urgency and necessity of extensively strengthening national nutritional education and developing specific nutrition-health policies tailored to economic conditions. This study also provides critical data for accurate food consumption and life cycle evaluations, promoting sustainability in the food system. Graphical abstract

Suggested Citation

  • Huaqing Wu & Zhao Zhang & Jialu Xu & Jie Song & Jichong Han & Jing Zhang & Qinghang Mei & Fei Cheng & Huimin Zhuang & Shaokun Li, 2025. "Food consumption away from home had divergent impacts on diet nutrition quality across urban and rural China," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 17(1), pages 41-56, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:ssefpa:v:17:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1007_s12571-024-01514-4
    DOI: 10.1007/s12571-024-01514-4
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    References listed on IDEAS

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