DETERMINANTS OF FOOD AWAY FROM HOME AMONG AFRICAN-AMERICANS
I. Introduction and Motivation
American families spent about 10 percent of their 2005 disposable personal income on food, and
spending on food away from home (FAFH) was 48.5 percent of the $1,023 billion in total food
expenditures in 2005 (USDA, 2007). Such statistics is similar to those in the recent past and shows a
steady expenditure pattern by consumers on FAFH. Commercial foodservice companies have taken
notice of the growth in minority population, particularly Hispanics and African-Americans, and their
increasingly growing buying power. For instance, it was estimated that African Americans represented
8.1% of the nations buying power, which represents approximately $572.1 billion (Anonymous, 2002);
foodservice companies are keenly aware of such growth and try to strategize accordingly.
The prominence of FAFH on consumers’ food expenditure raises some important questions,
particularly those related to the health impact of such a trend. There are serious health consequences
of poor diet (e.g., heart ailment, obesity, etc.) on general population, and specifically on minorities. For
instance, on average African Americans are twice as likely as white Americans to develop Type 2
diabetes, which has been known to have some correlation with one’s diet (Hamman, 2002). Therefore,
it is not surprising that the growing demand for food away from home is posing a new challenge to
health and well-being of ethnic minorities because most restaurant meals contain excessive amounts
of fats, calories, and sodium and insufficient amounts of fruits and vegetables.
As consumers become more health conscious and aware of the link between diet and health, they area
adjusting to their food consumption patterns. To accommodate such changing consumer behavior,
foodservice companies now offer a variety of healthy meals to attract the health conscious consumer.