Modeling the Pattern of Structural Change in U.S. Meat Demand

The hypothesis of structural change in U.S. meat demand is tested in a four-meat almost ideal demand system with parameters following a gradual switching regression model. The results support the notion that structural change partly explains the observed U.S. meat consumption patterns. Structural change is biased against beef, neutral for pork, in favor of chicken and fish, and it does not affect estimated elasticities. The estimated path of structural change implies a rapid transition to a new regime in the mid-1970s, although a smooth path cannot be ruled out.