As obesity soars, so does the amount of available food

Washington -- Even as Americans lament their ever-widening waistlines, they appear to be eating more than ever, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The USDA's Economic Research Service found in a recent study that the amount of food available for U.S. consumption rose by 16 percent from 1970 to 2003, translating into an extra 523 calories available for ingestion per person daily.

The ERS Food Consumption Per Capita Data Series, a compilation of economic data that tracks long-term eating patterns, is designed to shed light on the nation's current dietary and food consumption trends, said Jean Buzby, an economist for the ERS.

"Clearly, the increase in obesity over the time period that we looked at is going in the same direction as the increase in calories," Buzby said, acknowledging that about 30 percent of U.S. adults, or more than 60 million people, are considered overweight or obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For the study, researchers examined the disappearance of various commodities--including fats and oils, grains, sugar and sweeteners, vegetables, and dairy--into the food supply marketing system, Buzby said.

"Although the study was not a survey of actual food consumption, it is a good measure of food consumption and a way to study food consumption trends," she said.

The total amount of food available for consumption per person rose 16 percent from 1,675 pounds in 1970 to 1,950 pounds in 2003. As a result, calories available for daily consumption jumped from 2,234 in 1970 to 2,757 in 2003. Consumption of fats and oils, grains, and sugars and sweeteners grew the most, with added fats and oils adding another 216 calories per person per day, or 42 percent of the 523-calorie increase, researchers said. Grains and sugars accounted for 188 and 76 additional calories, respectively.

Also important, Buzby noted, is the 400-percent rise in the consumption of corn sweetener to 79 pounds, which attests to Americans' love of soft drinks. "The steep rise in corn sweetener consumption is largely due to high-fructose corn syrup, a low-cost substitute for sugar in beverages like soft drinks," she said.

Researchers based their numbers on the ERS Food Guide Pyramid servings data, which was derived from the food availability data and adjusted for food spoilage and other losses to more closely approximate per-capita intake. The loss-adjusted food supply data were then converted into per-capita food intake, which is presented in two forms: the number of food calories consumed daily per capita and the number of food guide servings consumed daily per capita based on the 1996 food pyramid.

The ERS plans to release updated data referencing the 2005 Dietary Guidelines by the end of the year, Buzby said.

Food available for consumption

                                 PER CAPITA CONSUMPTION

                                       INCREASE IN    INCREASE IN
                                         POUNDS,     DAILY CALORIES,
COMMODITY GROUP         1970    2003    1970-2003       1970-2003

                            POUNDS       PERCENT          NUMBER

Fats and oils             53      86        63              216
Grains                   136     194        43              188
Sugar and sweeteners     119     142        19               76
Meat, eggs, and nuts     226     242        70               24
Vegetables               337     418        24               16
Fruits                   242     275        12               14
Dairy                    564     594         5              -11
Total                  1,675   1,950        16              523

The ERS per capita data represent the amount of food and calories
available for consumption after adjusting for spoilage, plate waste,
and other losses in the home or marketing system.

Source: The ERS Food Consumption (Per Capita) Data System.

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