Regional Differences in Beverage and Fruit Consumption in China

The purpose of this thesis was to examine the impact of regional and other demographic characteristics, such as age, education level, and household income, on food consumption in China. In total, data for 2342 households from 11 different Chinese cities were analyzed. Two separate studies on fruits and beverages were conducted, each with four `home food' groups and four `away from home food' groups. A two-step quadratic ideal demand system model was used to analyze the regional differences and the effects of the other demographic characteristics on food consumption in China. Regional differences in beverage and fruit consumption were identified in this study, due to the usage of the four away from home and four at home food consumption groups. The relationship between food at home and food away from home for the same food items were also evaluated.