Households food consumption pattern in Pakistan: Evidence from recent household integrated economic survey

Naveed Hayat; Ghulam Mustafa; Bader Alhafi Alotaibi; Roshan K Nayak; Muhammad Naeem

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e19518

Households food consumption pattern in Pakistan: Evidence from recent household integrated economic survey

Heliyon. 2023 Aug 25;9(9):e19518. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e19518. eCollection 2023 Sep.

Authors

Naveed Hayat¹, Ghulam Mustafa¹, Bader Alhafi Alotaibi², Roshan K Nayak³, Muhammad Naeem¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Economics, Division of Management and Administrative Science, University of Education, Lahore, 54000, Pakistan.
² Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Society, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia.
³ Division of Agricultural and Natural Resources, University of California, 2801 2nd Street, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.

Abstract

The analysis of food consumption pattern is a primary concern of any developing country because it is related with food security. Pakistan is one of the emerging nations of the developing world. Due to the similarities and differences in households' food consumption behavior, income distribution, the effects of alternative tax structures, cost-benefit analyses, and the choice of cost of living index, the study of households' food consumption pattern is crucial for a developing nation like Pakistan. Furthermore, for Pakistan's food security in the present and the future, an analysis of food consumption pattern is crucial. The main objective of this study is to analyze the households' food consumption pattern. Linear Approximation Almost Ideal Demand System (LA/AIDS) is applied using data from Household Integrated Economic Survey (HIES) for the year 2018-19. This study makes a significant contribution by estimating household age composition elasticities, which were absent from earlier studies. Results from the income elasticities reveal that milk, meat, and fruits are luxuries food items. Similarly, on the basis of inelastic income elasticities we declared cereals, pulses, vegetables, sugar, and ghee as necessity food items. Results from the compensated own price elasticities show that the eight food commodity groups have inelastic own-price elasticities. This implies that these food commodities are integral food items of household diet. Results from the compensated cross-price elasticities shows that cereals and pulses, cereals and vegetables, pulses and vegetables, milk and fruits, meat and fruits, and milk and ghee are gross substitutes. On the other hand, pulses and meat, pulses and fruits, and ghee and meat are gross complements. According to the findings of the household age composition elasticities, adding children to a household significantly increases its sugar consumption while significantly reducing its fruit consumption. Any increase in the size of the household by an adolescent, adult, or a person in their middle age results in a significant increase in the consumption of cereals and a significant drop in the consumption of fruits. Finally, any increase in the size of the households brought about by an elder resulted in a significant rise in the consumption of cereals and a significant drop in the consumption of vegetables.

Keywords: Elasticities; Food consumption; Food demand; HIES 2018–19; Households; LA/AIDS.