High U.S. obesity rates have prompted calls for a tax on caloric sweetened beverages. Faced with such a tax, consumers are likely to substitute nontaxed beverages, such as bottled water, juice, and milk. A tax that increases the price of caloric sweetened beverages by 20 percent could cause an...

ERS research shows that away-from-home meals and snacks tend to contain more calories and to be of lower nutritional quality than food prepared at home. Recent legislation will require chain restaurants across the United States to list calorie information on their menus and menu boards. Calorie...

Each school day, millions of U.S. children receive free or reduced-price meals provided through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). Recent studies have indicated that many students who are not eligible for free or reduced-price NSLP meals are receiving the meals. How large is this...

Average costs per pound of irradiating food are similar for the electron accelerator and cobalt-60 irradiators analyzed in this study, but initial investment costs can vary by $1 million. Irradiation costs range from 0.5 to 7 cents per pound and decrease as annual volumes treated increase....

USDA’s Economic Research Service maintains the only time-series data on U.S. food availability in the country, a series that now spans 100 years. The data play a key role in monitoring the potential for the food supply to meet the nutritional needs of Americans and in examining historical...