Disparities in food habits across Europe

Abstract

Socially-and culturally-patterned differences in food habits exist both between and within European populations. Daily individual food availability data, collected through the national household budget surveys (HBS) and harmonized in the context of the Data Food Networking (DAFNE) project, were used to assess disparities in food habits of seven European populations and to evaluate dietary changes within a 10-year interval. The availability of selected food items was further estimated according to the educational level of the household head and, based only on the Greek HBS data, according to quintiles of the household's food purchasing capacity. Results for overall food availability support the north-south differentiation in food habits. Generally, the availability of most food items, including foods such as vegetable fats, animal lipids and sugar products, has decreased over the 10 years. Households in which the head was in the higher education categories reported lower availability for most food items, with the exception of low-fat milk, fresh fruit, animal lipids and soft drinks; the latter showing a sharp increase even within southern European households. The household's food purchasing capacity can be used as an indicator of socio-economic status, with higher values being associated with lower status. Greek households of lower social class follow a healthier diet in terms of greater availability of vegetable oils, fresh vegetables, legumes, fish and seafood. Data from the DAFNE databank may serve as a tool for identifying and quantifying variation in food habits in Europe, as well as for providing information on the socio-economic determinants of food preferences.

Sustainable Food Consumption: Trends and Opportunities

“…The impact analysis of income confirms the trends found in several studies claiming that lower income households respond mainly to price and look for filling foods (Hayn et al, 2005;Trichopoulou et al, 2002). In particular, the calculations show that lower income households have a higher relative consumption of potatoes (instead of root, fruiting and flowering vegetables), apples and pears (instead of exotic fruits) and lower absolute figures in bottled beverages.…”

“…Several authors agree that a higher educational level results in a reduced consumption of meat, potatoes and cereals but in a higher intake of fruits and vegetables (Gossard and York, 2003;Irala-Estevez et al, 2000;Trichopoulou et al, 2002). Indeed, our results confirm not only lower meat consumption, but also higher fruit and vegetable consumption.…”

“…In this section the finding that lower income households respond more to price and the filling quality foods, made by Hayn et al (2005) and Trichopoulou et al (2002), is investigated for the case of Austria. The consumption of rice, bread, cereals and flour declines by one kilogram, from 7 kg to 6 kg, from the lowest to the highest income group.…”

“…As argued by Trichopoulou et al (2002), education is the strongest determinant of peoples' diet, because education is a precondition for the understanding of health-and environment-related information. The validity of this finding for Austrian consumers is examined carefully in this section by analysing the food categories consumed by different educational levels.…”

“…With respect to education, Trichopoulou et al (2002) argue that the educational level is the strongest determinant affecting diet, because education is a precondition for the understanding of health and environmentally related information. Several authors agree that a higher educational level results in a reduced consumption of meat, potatoes and cereals but in a higher intake of fruits and vegetables (Gossard and York, 2003;Irala-Estevez et al, 2000;Trichopoulou et al, 2002).…”