Trends in food prepared outside the home in some Asian countries

Abstract

Urbanization and increasing income per capita in Asian countries are leading to an increasing opportunity cost of time and increasing consumer demand for easier food preparation.One manifestation of this shift in demand is an increase in eating food prepared outside the home. The objectives of this paper are (a) to gather and analyze data on trends in expenditures on food prepared away from home and (b) to understand how these trends might be affecting estimates of rice consumption. The data from national household surveys of seven countries (Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam and China) were analyzed. The results suggest a positive income elasticity of demand in urban areas and for most countries in East and Southeast Asia, although trends are different in South Asia. Eating out appearsto be more common in China and Southeast Asia than in South Asia, even after controlling for income. Constructing estimates of rice eaten outside the home is difficult, and better data collection is essential as it becomes more common to eat food prepared outside the home. K E Y W O R D Seating out, food expenditure, food prepared outside the home, middleincome Asian countries, rice consumption | 17 DAWE Et Al.

Household consumption expenditure behaviour towards outside ready-made food: Evidence from Bangladesh

“…Higher income dramatically influences household consumption behaviour linked to eating out [ 11 ]. Generally, rising per capita income increases people's demand for food prepared outside [ 26 ]. Hence, individuals with higher incomes often dine out and spend more on outside food [ 27 ].…”

“…Apparently, food expenditure rises with increased household income [ 19 ]. Thus, income positively impacts eating-out spending due to the greater income elasticity of demand for outside food [ 11 , 26 ]. According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), monthly household income has risen by over 39% in 2016 compared to 2010, indicating an increased trend in consumption expenditure at the national level [ 32 ].…”