ANALYSIS OF FOOD AWAY FROM HOME AND FOOD AT HOME CONSUMPTION: A SYSTEMS APPROACH

The demand for food away from home, food at home, and non-food items is investigated using a complete systems approach. Using the linear approximation of the dynamic version of the Almost Ideal Demand System, the results indicate that the share of total expenditure going to food away from home increases as the labor force participation rate of women increases. All expenditure elasticities are positive and all own-price elasticities are negative. Moreover, the demand for food away from home is more price sensitive than the demand for food at home. Seasonal patterns of consumption are also evident.