Americans Weigh in Over Time - Why Are So Many Americans Overweight?

Historically, overweight and obesity were largely attributed to gluttony—solely the result of inappropriate eating. The scientific study of obesity has identified genetic, biochemical, and metabolic alterations in humans and experimental animals, as well as the complex interactions of psychosocial and cultural factors that create susceptibility to overweight and obesity. Although obesity is thought to result from multiple causes, for the overwhelming majority of Americans, overweight and obesity result from TABLE 1.8
Classification of overweight and obesity by body mass index (BMI)

	Obesity class	BMI (kg/m²)
Underweight		<18.5
Normal		18.5–24.9
Overweight		25.0–29.9
Obesity	I	30.0–34.9
	II	35.0–39.9
Extreme obesity	III	≥40
SOURCE: "Classification of Overweight and Obesity by BMI," Clinical Guidelines on the Identification, Evaluation, and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults, the Evidence Report, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute in cooperation with the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, NIH Publication No. 98-4083, September 1998 [Online] http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/obesity/ob_gdlns.htm [accessed December 30, 2003]

excessive consumption of calories and inadequate physical activity—eating too much and exercising too little.

Some observers maintain that Americans were destined to become overweight when their diets remained unchanged even as products of the industrial revolution such as cars, automation, and a variety of laborsaving devices sharply reduced levels of physical activity. The widespread availability of high-calorie foods and less physically demanding jobs conspired to make Americans fatter. Others contend that the rise in overweight and obesity began during the 1970s, when women entered the work force in large numbers and increasingly relied on processed, convenient, and calorie-dense, saturated-fat-laden fast foods to feed their families. The CDC reported that in 2000, women ate 325 calories more per day than they did in 1971, and men consumed 168 calories more each day. Table 1.9 shows that except for a slight drop during the late 1990s, Americans' daily fat consumption, and calories from fat, steadily increased from 1970 to 2000.

A variety of societal trends are thought to contribute to Americans' propensity to overeat, including eating outside the home, as well as ready access to and preference for sugar- and fat-laden foods. Table 1.10 shows how expenditures for eating away from home have increased steadily, and almost doubled between 1988 and 2002. In addition to less strenuous work, many Americans spend their leisure time in relatively sedentary pursuits—watching television, using computers, or playing video games—that not only do not expend calories but also, as in the case of television, actually encourage excessive eating.

Americans Enjoy Eating Out

Dining out is an important part of American culture, and market research conducted by Mintel International Group Ltd. found that Americans spend nearly half of their household food budget on eating out. In 2001 Americans spent nearly $30 billion on casual dining (as opposed to more pricey upscale restaurants or fast-food franchises). FIGURE 1.4
Prevalence of obesity among adults aged 20 years and over, 1997–2003 The Mintel Report (Dining Out Review Market, Volume II: Casual/Family Restaurants, U.S. Report, May 2002) revealed that while restaurant dining growth slowed to single-digit growth in 2001 from the high teens from 1995 to 2000, the casual dining market is projected to continue to grow at about 5–7 percent per year through 2006.

Many nutritionists and obesity researchers assert that controlling portion size, which is key to controlling calorie consumption, is more difficult in restaurants, where portions are frequently quite large. Increasingly, restaurants have translated consumer demands for value into more food for less money. Since humans are genetically programmed to eat when food is abundant, larger portions trigger the natural impulse to eat more.

Pennsylvania State University researchers confirmed the notion that presented with larger portions, people will generally consume more. When they offered research subjects a five-cup portion of macaroni and cheese, the subjects all responded by eating 30 percent more than they had when they were given portions half that size. In "Portion Size of Food Affects Energy Intake in Normal-Weight and Overweight Men and Women" (American Journal of Clinical FIGURE 1.5
Prevalence of obesity among adults aged 20 years and over, by age group and sex, January–June 2003 Nutrition, vol. 76, December 2002), Barbara Rolls and her colleagues observed that both "restrained and unrestrained eaters" ate more when offered larger portions and asserted that Americans have become accustomed to eating too much at one sitting. The problem of portion size is compounded by the observation that Americans are eating larger portions of foods that are high in calories and fat.

David Grotto, a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association (ADA), asserted restaurant portions have not changed as much as Americans' eating habits. In an interview published in the June 16, 2003, issue of the Miami Herald, Grotto noted that "A generation ago, dining out was pretty much limited to special occasions. Then, over time, the frequency of eating out increased and going to restaurants became part of Americana, especially in urban areas."

Bigger Portions

Researchers Barry Popkin and Joy Samara Nielson from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill looked at portion size consumed in the United States to determine whether average portion sizes had increased over time. They analyzed data collected by national nutrition surveys—the Nationwide Food Consumption Survey FIGURE 1.6
Age-adjusted prevalence of obesity among adults aged 20 years and over, by sex and race/ethnicity, January–June 2003 and the Continuing Survey of Food Intake by Individuals—conducted in the United States in 1977, 1989, 1994, and 1996, detailing the consumption habits of more than 63,000 people. For each survey year the researchers analyzed average portion sizes consumed of specific food items (salty snacks, desserts, soft drinks, fruit drinks, French fries, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, pizza, and Mexican food) by eating location—home, restaurant, or fast-food outlet. In "Patterns and Trends in Food Portion Sizes, 1977–1998" (Journal of the American Medical Association, vol. 289, no. 4, January 2003), the researchers reported that over the past two decades, the average portions of such salty snacks as popcorn and chips have increased by 60 percent, and soft drinks have grown by 50 percent. The average dispensed soft drink measured 13 ounces (370 milliliters) in 1977, but by 1996, it was 20 ounces (570 milliliters). During the same period, an average bag of chips grew to 1.6 ounces (45 g) from 1 ounce (28 g). As a result, the average chips-and-soda snack contains 150 more calories than it did two decades ago.

The portion-size changes were observed with many fast-food offerings. During the twenty years studied, the size of the average hamburger grew by 23 percent, to 200 g (7.05 ounces), while fries portions grew by 16 percent, to 100 g (3.52 ounces). A regular-size burger-and-fries meal contains 155 calories more than it did in 1977. The researchers explained that increasing portion sizes reflected the fast-food industry's practice of "supersizing" or "value adding"—offering larger sizes at discounted rates. Worse still, the researchers found that portion size also had expanded in Americans' homes, indicating widespread ignorance about appropriate portion size. Interestingly, portion sizes were smallest in restaurants, although they too had increased during the study period. For example, twenty years ago a restaurant portion of spaghetti with tomato sauce and three small meatballs contained 500 calories. In 2004 the average restaurant serving has twice as much spaghetti, three large meatballs, and 1,025 calories.

Increased portion sizes at home are reflected in recipes and cookbooks. Another study reported that recipes call for bigger portions using the same ingredients than they did in past decades. For example, a brownie recipe from a classic cookbook published more than three decades ago, Joy of Cooking (New York: Signet Classics, New American Library, 1974) recommended dividing it into thirty servings. The same recipe in 2004 is divided into only sixteen servings. Similarly, a 1984 recipe for Toll House cookies yielded 100 servings, whereas today the same recipe yields only sixty. Other popular food items have increased in size and calorie content. When the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute compared portion sizes and the corresponding calories of several popular foods from 1983 and 2003, researchers found that two decades ago a bagel measured three inches in diameter and contained 140 calories. In the early twenty-first century, six-inch bagels contain more than twice as many calories—a whopping 350.

The University of North Carolina researchers also noted other changes in eating behavior. For example, the study found that Americans obtain 19 percent of their total calories from snacks—double the amount of 1977—and 81 percent from meals. They concluded that "control of portion size must be systematically addressed both in general and as it relates to fast-food pricing and marketing. The best way to encourage people to eat smaller portions is if food portions served inside and outside the home are smaller."

Technology Satisfies the Hunger for Quick, Inexpensive Food

In Why Have Americans Become More Obese (Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc., 2003) Harvard University economists David Cutler, Edward Glaeser, and Jesse Shapiro refuted the notion that increased portion sizes, increasingly sedentary lifestyles, or restaurant dining were responsible for Americans' widening waist-lines. After examining nearly 100 years of nutritional data, the researchers determined that technological advances have increased the efficiency of food production and made food more varied, convenient, tastier, and cheaper.

The economists illustrated how efficiencies in food preparation have revolutionized Americans' eating habits. They compared the speed and ease of preparation of commercial TABLE 1.9
Amount of added fats consumed, 1970–74 to 2000

	Per capita annual averages
Item	1970–74	1975–79	1980–84	1985–89	1990–94	1995–99	2000	Change, 1970–74 to 2000	2000 food supply, Change, added fats per capita per day¹
	Pounds, product weight²							Percent	Grams
Fats and oils	55.7	57.4	61.7	66.1	69.1	67.5	77.1	38	63.0
Salad and cooking oils	16.7	19.5	22.2	24.8	26.2	27.2	33.7	102	29.8
Shortening	17.2	17.6	19.0	21.9	23.1	21.2	23.1	34	19.2
Margarine	11.0	11.4	10.8	10.6	10.6	8.5	8.2	−25	4.8
Butter	5.0	4.4	4.6	4.6	4.5	4.4	4.6	−8	3.6
Lard (direct use)³	3.6	2.5	2.1	1.5	1.4	1.8	1.9	−47	1.2
Edible beef tallow (direct use)³	na	.4	1.4	1.2	1.8	2.9	4.0	na	2.5
Other edible fats and oils⁴	2.2	1.9	1.6	1.4	1.4	1.4	1.5	−32	1.8
Very high-fat dairy foods that are included in total added fat: Cream cheese	.6	.8	1.1	1.4	2.0	2.2	2.4	300	.7
	Half pints, product weight²
Heavy cream	1.0	1.1	1.5	2.2	2.5	3.4	3.7	270	.6
Light cream	.7	.6	.5	.8	.6	.9	1.1	57	.1
Sour cream	2.4	3.1	3.7	4.5	5.0	5.5	6.2	158	.5
Half and half	5.0	4.5	4.8	5.8	5.8	6.1	6.9	38	.3
Eggnog	.7	.8	.8	.9	.8	.7	.6	−14	—
	Grams per capita per day, fat content basis¹
Total added fat (excludes naturally occuring fat in such foods as meats, beverage milks, nuts, and avocados)¹	47.9	49.3	52.5	56.4	58.6	57.2	65.3	36	65.3
	Tablespoons per capita per day, fat content basis¹
	3.5	3.6	3.9	4.1	4.3	4.2	4.8	37	na
The Dietary guidelines recommend that people limit their total fat consumption to no more than 30 percent of daily energy intake—about 73 grams of added and naturally occurring fat for a 2,200-calorie diet. In 2000, added fats alone accounted for 97 percent of this suggested upper limit.
Notes: na = not applicable or not available.—= less than 0.05 grams. Totals may not add due to rounding.
¹Adjusted for cooking losses, plate waste, and other losses. Includes only the cream portions of half and half and eggnog; the milk portions are included in the daily group. Fat content of butter and margarine calculated at 80 percent. One gram of fat equals 9 calories. One tablespoon of fat equals approximately 13.6 grams of fat.
²Aggregate data, unadjusted for cooking losses, plate waste, and other losses.
³Excludes use in margarine and shortening.
⁴Specialty fats used mainly in confections and nondairy creamers.
SOURCE: Judy Putnam, Jane Allshouse, and Linda Scott Kantor, "Table 2. Americans Consumed an Average of 65 Grams, or 600 Calories' Worth, of Added Fats Per Person Per Day in 2000," in U.S. Per Capita Food Supply Trends: More Calories, Refined Carbohydrates, and Fats, Food and Rural Economics Division, Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Washington, DC, 2002 [Online] http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/FoodReview/dec2002/ [accessed February 3, 2004]

French fries with the previously time-consuming, labor-intensive process of scrubbing, peeling, paring, and frying required to prepare French fries. They observed that during the 1960s women spent an average of two hours a day on meal preparation—twice as long as the average American nonworking woman devotes to meal preparation today. It takes considerably less time today to prepare food because of advances in food processing and packaging. Further, technology improvements in the home, such as the microwave oven, have made it easier to eat quickly on demand.

The Harvard researchers' conclusion was that increased food consumption is the direct "result of technological innovations which made it possible for food to be mass prepared far from the point of consumption, and consumed with lower time costs of preparation and cleaning. Price changes are normally beneficial, but may not be if people have self-control problems." The study found that the average number of daily snacks between meals has risen by 60 percent since the late 1970s. Unable to resist the tempting, affordable variety of foods, Americans engage in more frequent snacking, consuming the excess calories that ultimately result in overweight.

Is the Food Industry the Culprit?

Kelly Brownell, director of the Yale Center for Eating and Weight Disorders and co-author, with Katherine Horgen, of Food Fight: The Inside Story of the Food Industry, America's Obesity Crisis, and What We Can Do About It (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003), cited a "near-total surrender to a powerful food industry" as one of the main causes of the obesity epidemic in the United States. Brownell and Horgen contend that the obesity epidemic represents more than a failure of Americans to assume personal responsibility and exercise willpower over their appetites. They exhort consumers to agitate against a food industry intent on fattening them and to work to counteract a variety of unhealthy social trends. The authors lament the super-sized meals and sedentary lifestyles, including Americans' "car-centric" culture that actively discourages walking and encourages children TABLE 1.10
Food away from home, total expenditures, 1929–2002

Year	Eating & drinking places¹	Hotels & motels¹	Retail stores, direct selling²	Recreational places³	Schools & colleges⁴	All other⁵	Total⁶
in millions of dollars
1929	2,101	362	—	—	175	1,483	4,121
1933	1,235	250	—	—	105	869	2,459
1935	1,257	271	—	—	161	1,145	2,834
1936	1,430	320	—	—	175	1,236	3,161
1937	1,696	351	—	—	194	1,375	3,616
1938	1,626	312	—	—	191	1,260	3,389
1939	1,782	321	—	—	203	1,307	3,613
1940	1,938	353	—	—	219	1,385	3,895
1941	2,369	386	—	—	263	1,781	4,799
1942	2,992	453	—	—	310	2,539	6,294
1943	3,837	604	—	—	332	3,572	8,345
1944	4,471	681	—	—	326	4,415	9,893
1945	5,218	736	—	—	373	4,908	11,235
1946	5,859	846	—	—	525	3,802	11,032
1947	6,243	854	—	—	842	3,864	11,803
1948	6,338	846	—	—	983	4,069	12,236
1949	6,294	786	—	—	979	3,943	12,002
1950	6,472	774	—	—	1,051	4,172	12,469
1951	7,172	783	—	—	1,124	5,167	14,246
1952	7,549	805	—	—	1,138	5,435	14,927
1953	7,834	790	—	—	1,215	5,392	15,231
1954	8,008	752	1,416	274	1,311	3,676	15,437
1955	8,490	809	1,468	313	1,390	3,539	16,009
1956	8,992	875	1,534	354	1,530	3,506	16,791
1957	9,409	932	1,592	342	1,661	3,609	17,545
1958	9,447	922	1,599	356	1,809	3,756	7,889
1959	10,102	982	1,677	385	1,949	3,739	18,834
1960	10,505	1,028	1,716	421	2,082	3,855	19,607
1961	10,907	1,061	1,740	452	2,264	3,961	20,385
1962	11,624	1,134	1,812	472	2,463	4,090	21,595
1963	12,247	1,200	1,854	484	2,624	4,148	22,557
1964	13,156	1,289	1,988	496	2,814	4,279	24,022
1965	14,444	1,409	2,162	522	3,062	4,598	26,197
1966	15,768	1,541	2,346	544	3,329	5,173	28,701
1967	16,595	1,623	2,436	563	3,632	5,570	30,419
1968	18,695	1,703	2,713	616	3,903	5,830	33,460
1969	20,207	1,716	2,984	661	4,256	6,291	36,115
1970	22,617	1,894	3,325	721	4,475	6,551	39,583
1971	24,166	2,086	3,626	762	4,990	6,621	42,251
1972	27,167	2,390	3,811	832	5,370	7,017	46,587
1973	31,265	2,639	4,218	963	5,605	7,960	52,650
1974	34,029	2,864	4,520	1,167	6,287	9,178	58,045
1975	41,384	3,199	4,952	1,369	7,060	10,145	68,109
1976	47,536	3,769	5,341	1,511	7,854	10,822	76,833
1977	52,491	4,115	5,663	2,606	8,413	11,547	84,835
1978	60,042	4,863	6,323	2,810	9,034	13,012	96,084
1979	68,872	5,551	7,157	2,921	9,914	14,756	109,171

to sit in front of television, video games, and computers while eliminating physical education classes from schools, but they insist that the food industry bears the lion's share of responsibility for the rise in obesity. They argue that America feeds its pets better than its children, and that children are induced and manipulated by food industry media advertising to adopt poor eating habits and to consume high-calorie, low-nutrition junk food.

Brownell and Horgen cite toy giveaways, movie tie-ins, and in-school promotions as evidence of effective strategies employed by the politically powerful food industry to promote fast-food consumption. They feel that the battle against these pervasive influences is one that parents cannot win because even children receiving consistent, sound nutritional counseling from parents are not immune to the effects of multiple, powerful exposures to media advertising. The authors call for a nationwide, grassroots movement to reverse these trends and advocate specific measures such as junk-food taxes and banning ads that target children.

Greg Critser also indicts the food industry in Fat Land: How Americans Became the Fattest People in the World (New York: Houghton Mifflin Co., 2003). The nutrition journalist presents a critical analysis of the many social and economic factors that make Americans among the most overweight people in the world. Critser believes that chief among these factors is high fructose corn syrup, a low-cost sweetener that was developed by Japanese scientists in response to an overabundance of cheap corn. Corn syrup does more than sweeten, it also acts as a preservative, giving sweet foods longer shelf lives. Since the 1970s, high-fructose (a very sweet sugar) corn syrup has been used to sweeten nearly every product on super-market TABLE 1.10
Food away from home, total expenditures, 1929–2002

Year	Eating & drinking places¹	Hotels & motels¹	Retail stores, direct selling²	Recreational places³	Schools & colleges⁴	All other⁵	Total⁶
in millions of dollars
1980	75,883	5,906	8,158	3,040	11,115	16,194	120,296
1981	83,358	6,639	8,830	2,979	11,357	17,751	130,914
1982	90,390	6,888	9,256	2,887	11,692	18,663	139,776
1983	98,710	7,660	9,827	3,271	12,338	19,077	150,883
1984	105,836	8,409	10,315	3,489	12,950	20,047	161,046
1985	111,760	9,168	10,499	3,737	13,534	20,133	168,831
1986	121,699	9,665	11,116	4,059	14,401	20,755	181,695
1987	137,255	11,117	11,860	4,331	13,370	21,122	199,055
1988	151,138	11,905	12,973	4,669	13,934	22,542	217,160
1989	160,657	12,179	14,153	5,658	14,644	24,198	231,490
1990	172,024	12,508	15,764	6,798	15,598	25,773	248,465
1991	180,405	12,460	16,514	7,592	16,784	26,645	260,400
1992	182,327	13,204	13,586	8,602	17,755	27,946	263,420
1993	195,836	13,362	13,798	9,275	18,386	28,029	278,685
1994	205,768	13,880	14,203	9,791	19,361	28,208	291,211
1995	214,159	14,188	14,332	10,568	20,141	28,593	301,982
1996	221,834	14,510	14,466	11,360	20,941	28,985	312,095
1997	235,930	15,490	14,431	9,172	22,025	30,936	327,983
1998	249,310	15,835	15,231	10,019	23,233	31,944	345,573
1999	260,392	16,675	16,562	10,673	24,235	33,506	362,043
2000	280,742	17,479	16,821	11,351	24,848	34,501	385,743
2001	289,462	17,923	17,426	11,751	26,255	35,261	398,077
2002	304,606	17,912	18,274	11,843	26,978	35,344	414,957
—= Not available.
¹Includes tips.
²Includes vending machine operators but not vending machines operated by organization.
³Motion picture theaters, bowling alleys, pool parlors, sports arenas, camps, amusement parks, golf and country clubs (includes concessions beginning in 1977).
⁴Includes school food subsidies.
⁵Military exchanges and clubs; railroad dining cars; airlines; food service in manufacturing plants, institutions, hospitals, boarding houses, fraternities and sororities, and civic and social organizations; and food supplied to military forces, civilian employees, and child day care.
⁶Computed from unrounded data.
SOURCE: "Table 3. Food away from Home: Total expenditures," in Food CPI, Prices, and Expenditures: Food away from Home, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Washington, DC, 2003 [Online] http://www.ers.usda.gov/briefing/CPIFoodAndExpenditures/Data/table3.htm [accessed February 2, 2004]

shelves, from cereal to soda. Some researchers feel that because it is so ubiquitous, many Americans are unknowingly consuming excessive amounts of fructose. Table 1.11 shows increasing consumption of high fructose corn syrup, which more than tripled from 1980 to 2002.

Unfortunately, fructose also appears to trigger fat storage more efficiently than other sugars do. New studies are showing the body does not metabolize high-fructose corn syrup well. Although all sugars are stored in the body as fat, some researchers think that fructose is more readily converted into fat than other sugars. The fructose encourages the liver to promote fat by activating enzymes that create higher levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, and make muscles more insulin-resistant. Elevated levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, fatty substances normally present in the bloodstream and all cells of the body, increase the risk of coronary heart disease. Insulin resistance can lead to diabetes.

Critser also explained that once the staples used to produce fast foods became cheaper, the industry intensified marketing efforts to induce consumers to buy and eat more. Table 1.12 shows that food expenditures have consistently decreased as a percent of disposable personal income, declining from almost one-quarter of personal disposable income in 1930 to just 10.1 percent in 2002. He observes that a serving of McDonald's French fries "ballooned from 200 calories (1960) … to the present 610 calories" and that Americans' appetites grew to expect and demand the bigger servings. Critser noted that changing values and lifestyles conspired to fatten Americans. He described the rise of a "new boundary-free culture" that promoted consumption of sugary and fat-laden foods. Traditionally, families convened for home-cooked dinners, but Critser described the rushed parents of the 1980s as preferring to eat out or take in prepared foods. Childcare experts popularized the theory that children instinctively knew when they were sated and encouraged busy parents to relinquish control over their children's food consumption. In some parts of the country, budget cuts prompted schools to allow fast-food franchises to sell lunches and snacks to students on the school campuses. Finally, Critser observed that to accommodate—or even camouflage—Americans' expanding bodies, clothing manufacturers marketed large, loose-fitting clothing.

TABLE 1.11
Per capita caloric sweeteners, estimated deliveries for domestic food and beverage use, by calendar year, 1966–2002^{1, 2}

				Corn sweeteners
Calendar year	U.S. population (July 1)	Refined sugar³	High-fructose corn syrup	Glucose syrup	Dextrose	Total	Pure honey	Edible syrups	Total caloric sweeteners
	Millions	Pounds, dry basis
1966	196.6	97.3	0.0	9.7	4.2	13.9	1.0	0.7	112.9
1967	198.7	98.5	0.0	9.9	4.3	14.2	0.9	0.5	114.2
1968	200.7	99.2	0.1	10.3	4.4	14.8	0.9	0.7	115.7
1969	202.7	101.0	0.3	10.5	4.5	15.3	1.0	0.6	117.9
1970	205.1	101.8	0.5	10.7	4.6	15.9	1.0	0.5	119.1
1971	207.7	102.1	0.8	11.2	4.6	16.7	0.9	0.5	120.2
1972	209.9	102.3	1.2	12.0	4.6	17.8	1.0	0.5	121.5
1973	211.9	100.8	2.1	13.1	4.6	19.7	0.9	0.5	122.0
1974	213.9	95.7	2.8	13.8	4.5	21.2	0.7	0.4	117.9
1975	216.0	89.2	4.9	14.0	4.4	23.3	1.0	0.4	113.8
1976	218.0	93.4	7.2	13.9	4.1	25.2	0.9	0.4	119.9
1977	220.2	94.2	9.6	13.8	3.9	27.3	0.9	0.4	122.8
1978	222.6	91.4	10.8	13.9	3.7	28.4	1.1	0.4	121.3
1979	225.1	89.3	14.8	13.5	3.5	31.8	1.0	0.4	122.6
1980	227.7	83.6	19.0	12.9	3.5	35.3	0.8	0.4	120.2
1981	230.0	79.4	22.8	12.9	3.4	39.1	0.8	0.4	119.8
1982	232.2	73.7	26.6	12.7	3.4	42.7	0.9	0.4	117.7
1983	234.3	70.3	31.2	13.0	3.4	47.6	1.0	0.4	119.3
1984	236.3	66.7	37.2	13.1	3.5	53.8	0.9	0.4	121.8
1985	238.5	62.7	45.2	13.5	3.5	62.2	0.9	0.4	126.2
1986	240.7	60.0	45.7	13.6	3.6	62.8	1.0	0.4	124.3
1987	242.8	62.4	47.7	13.8	3.6	65.2	0.9	0.4	128.8
1988	245.0	62.1	49.0	14.3	3.7	66.9	0.8	0.4	130.2
1989	247.3	62.8	48.2	12.8	3.5	64.6	0.8	0.4	128.5
1990	250.1	64.4	49.6	13.6	3.6	66.8	0.8	0.4	132.4
1991	253.5	63.6	50.3	14.0	3.7	68.0	0.9	0.4	132.9
1992	256.9	64.2	51.8	15.1	3.6	70.5	1.0	0.4	136.1
1993	260.3	63.8	54.5	15.8	3.7	73.9	1.0	0.4	139.1
1994	263.4	64.4	56.2	15.9	3.8	75.9	1.0	0.4	141.6
1995	266.6	64.9	57.6	16.3	4.0	77.9	0.9	0.4	144.1
1996	269.7	65.2	57.8	16.4	4.0	78.2	1.0	0.4	144.7
1997	272.9	64.9	60.4	17.3	3.7	81.5	0.9	0.4	147.7
1998	276.1	65.1	61.9	17.1	3.6	82.7	0.9	0.4	149.0
1999	279.3	66.3	63.7	16.3	3.5	83.5	1.1	0.4	151.3
2000	282.4	65.5	62.7	15.8	3.4	81.9	1.1	0.4	148.9
2001	285.5	64.4	62.5	15.4	3.3	81.3	0.9	0.4	147.0
2002	288.6	63.2	62.7	15.4	3.3	81.4	1.1	0.4	146.1
¹Per capita deliveries of sweeteners by U.S. processors and refiners and direct-consumption imports to food manufacturers, retailers, and other end users represent the per capita supply of caloric sweeteners. The data exclude deliveries to manufacturers of alcoholic beverages. Actual human intake of caloric sweeteners is lower because of uneaten food, spoilage, and other losses.
²Totals may not add due to rounding.
³Based on sugar deliveries for domestic food and beverage use.
SOURCE: "Table 50. U.S. per Capita Caloric Sweeteners: Estimated Deliveries for Domestic Food and Beverage Use, by Calendar Year," in Sugar and Sweetener: Data Tables, Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Washington, DC, 2003 [Online] http://www.ers.usda.gov/briefing/sugar/Data/data.htm [accessed February 2, 2004]

TABLE 1.12
Food expenditures by families and individuals as a share of disposable personal income, 1929–2002

		Expenditures for food
Year	Disposable personal income	At home¹		Away from home²		Total³
	Billion dollars	Billion dollars	Percent	Billion dollars	Percent	Billion dollars	Percent
1929	83.2	16.9	20.3	2.6	3.1	19.5	23.5
1930	74.6	15.8	21.2	2.3	3.1	18.1	24.3
1931	64.2	12.7	19.8	2.1	3.3	14.8	23.1
1932	49.1	9.6	19.6	1.7	3.5	11.3	23
1933	45.9	10.1	22	1.5	3.3	11.6	25.3
1934	52.7	11.1	21.1	1.7	3.2	12.8	24.3
1935	59.2	12.1	20.4	1.8	3	13.9	23.5
1936	67.3	12.7	18.9	2	3	14.7	21.8
1937	72.2	13.3	18.4	2.2	3	15.5	21.5
1938	66.5	12.6	18.9	2.1	3.2	14.7	22.1
1939	71.4	13	18.1	2.3	3.2	15.2	21.3
1940	76.7	13.5	17.6	2.4	3.1	15.9	20.7
1941	93.8	15.3	16.3	2.9	3.1	18.2	19.4
1942	118.7	18.5	15.5	3.6	3	22.1	18.6
1943	135.4	20.7	15.3	4.5	3.3	25.2	18.6
1944	148.3	22.1	14.9	5.1	3.4	27.2	18.4
1945	152.1	23.6	15.5	5.7	3.7	29.3	19.2
1946	162	28.4	17.5	6.5	4	34.9	21.5
1947	172.1	32.8	19.1	7.4	4.3	40.2	23.4
1948	191.6	34.9	18.2	7.5	3.9	42.4	22.1
1949	191.1	34.3	17.9	7.8	4.1	42	22
1950	210.6	35.7	16.9	7.6	3.6	43.3	20.5
1951	231.2	40	17.3	8.4	3.6	48.4	20.9
1952	243.6	41.8	17.2	8.8	3.6	50.6	20.8
1953	258.8	42.3	16.4	9	3.5	51.3	19.8
1954	264.5	42.4	16	9.3	3.5	51.7	19.5
1955	283.4	42.9	15.1	9.8	3.5	52.7	18.6
1956	302.8	44.4	14.7	10.4	3.4	54.8	18.1
1957	319.7	48.1	15	10.9	3.4	59	18.4
1958	330.8	49.8	15.1	11.1	3.4	60.9	18.4
1959	351.2	50.1	14.3	12.1	3.5	62.3	17.7
1960	366.2	51.5	14.1	12.6	3.4	64	17.5
1961	382.4	52	13.6	13.1	3.4	65.1	17
1962	405.6	52.9	13.1	13.9	3.4	66.8	16.5
1963	425.8	53.3	12.5	14.5	3.4	67.9	15.9
1964	463	55.5	12	15.7	3.4	71.2	15.4
1965	498.9	58.4	11.7	16.9	3.4	75.4	15.1
1966	539.1	61	11.3	18.6	3.5	79.6	14.8
1967	576.2	61.4	10.6	19.8	3.4	81.1	14.1
1968	626.2	64.5	10.3	21.7	3.5	86.2	13.8
1969	675	69	10.2	23.4	3.5	92.3	13.7