Apparent Consumption of Selected Foods and Household Food Expenditure.

Abstract

This report aims to describe trends in the apparent consumption of key core and non-core foods, food prices and household expenditure to understand population level dietary patterns. Findings indicate that Australians have made substantial changes in their diet in the past four decades. The observed trends in increasing apparent consumption of sugar in manufactured foods, and increased expenditure on takeaway food and snacks, are consistent with the increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity amongst Australian adults and children. Statistics on supply and demand of selected foods can provide an indication of consumer and industry trends, and contribute to a comprehensive system for monitoring population weight status.