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The U.S. food supply series: selected food and nutrient highlights, 1909 to 2000.

Article Excerpt
The variety and types of food commodities in the U.S. food supply and the nutrients they provide have undergone significant changes since 1909. In the 1930s, advancements in food-processing technologies introduced into the marketplace canned, frozen, and packaged items such as canned soups and vegetables, frozen vegetables and fruits, and packaged cereals. The result has been an increase in national availability and shelf life of these foods. During the 1930s, margarine was fortified with vitamin A and beta-carotene (for color) and milk was fortified with vitamins A and D. In the 1940s, flour and flour products were enriched with thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and iron. Such events ensured an adequate supply of some nutrients and enhanced the healthfulness of the U.S. food supply.

During the second half of the 20th century, changes in animal husbandry and marketing practices resulted in different nutrient composition and forms of red meat and poultry, such as leaner meat cuts and a variety of poultry products. Over the last three decades, an increase in ethnic diversity, more elderly consumers, and the expansion of government-mandated nutrition policies (2) changed the demand for some foods and expanded the variety of others. These events resulted in changes in commodities and nutrients in the food supply (see box). For example, in 2000, the food supply provided a greater variety of grain products, fruits and vegetables, reduced-fat meats, and dairy products than was the case in 1970; however, during 2000, the food supply also provided higher amounts of caloric sweeteners and added fats. The increased variety and availability of grain products, along with changes in grain fortification policy during this period, were responsible for the higher levels of folate in the 2000 food supply.

This report provides information on availability and consumption of the major food groups of the food supply; highlights nutrient availability and contributions of vitamin A, folate, calcium, and potassium from these food groups for selected years (1909, 1945, 1970, and 2000 (3)); and provides a discussion of critical events since 1909 that were responsible for changes in the U.S. food supply.

The Source and Importance of Food Supply Data

The U.S. food supply data series measures the amount of food available for consumption per capita per year and the amount of nutrients available for consumption per capita per day. This series is the only continual source of data on food and nutrient availability in the United States dating back to 1909. Food supply nutrient estimates were calculated for the first time during World War II to assess the nutritive value of the food supply for civilian use in the United States and to provide a basis for international comparisons with the food supplies of our allies (U.S. Department of Agriculture [USDA], 1949; Gerrior & Bente, 2001).

Per capita food supply estimates provide unique and essential information on the amount of food and nutrients available for consumption. They are useful for assessing trends in food and nutrient consumption over time, for monitoring the potential of the food supply to meet the nutritional needs of Americans, and for examining relationships between food availability and diet-health risk. In particular, food supply data provide useful information to policymakers who are responsible for establishing food and nutrition policy.

Methods Used to Calculate Availability and Consumption

The USDA's Economic Research Service (ERS) annually calculates the amount of food available for consumption on a per capita basis in the United States. Food supply data measure national consumption of about 400 basic commodities. For most commodity categories, the available food supply is measured as the sum of beginning inventories, annual production, and imports minus exports, farm and nonfood uses, and end-of-year inventories. Per capita consumption is calculated by dividing the available food supply by the total U.S. population as of July 1 each year (Putnam & Allshouse, 1999).

Using per capita consumption data and information on the nutrient composition of foods from USDA's Agricultural Research Service, the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion calculates the nutrient content of the U.S. food supply. Per capita consumption for each commodity is multiplied by the amount of food energy and also by each of 27 nutrients and dietary components in the edible portion of the food....

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