Suchergebnisse

AbstractThe federal government has issued Dietary Guidelines for Americans seven times since 1980, but the 2005 whole‐grain recommendation was the first instance in which consumers were given a specific dietary target, that whole grains should be at least half of their grain consumption. Anecdotal evidence pointed to a unique result, an increase in demand for whole‐grain foods. Contemporaneous decreases in prices of whole‐grain foods, relative to refined‐grain foods, however, confound the evidence. We show that for whole‐grain bread, there was an increase in retail demand even after accounting for price changes. Separate models for higher‐ and lower‐income consumers show that the demand shift occurred among higher‐income consumers, but not for lower‐income consumers.