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Texto para discussão 22/2005

Food consumption and demographics in Japan: implications for an aging population
Mauricio V. L. Bittencourt*, Ratapol P. Teratanavat**, Wen S. Chern***

Abstract
This study estimates a cross-sectional model based on the Almost Ideal Demand System (AIDS) to examine the determinants of food consumption patterns in Japan over life-cycle periods. The test of structural changes, the analysis of the effects of demographic characteristics, and the estimation of expenditure and price elasticities are conducted from a random sample of 1,281 households from a Japanese household survey in 1997. Results show that each economic or non-economic factor has a different impact on food consumption over a lifetime. Changes in consumption of some food groups can be explained by price and income effects where others can be explained by demographic characteristics. Financial constraint is not binding and residential location is likely to have little or no impact on predicting consumers’ food choices at different periods of their lives. Other key factors that affect consumption pattern include family size, number of children, lifestyle and health concern.

Keywords: Japan; food demand; life-cycle; AIDS; household.

JEL: C310, D120, D910

* Graduate fellow in the Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics at the Ohio State University. He also holds a fellowship from CAPES Foundation (Brazil) and is professor at Federal University of Parana, Brazil (UFPR).
** Graduate research associate in the Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics at the Ohio State University.
*** Professor of the Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics at the Ohio State University.

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