Four decades of household food purchases: Changes in inequalities of nutritional quality in France, 1971-2010

Abstract

Socioeconomic inequalities affect all areas of consumption. Disparities in food consumption have nutritional consequences that may contribute to social inequalities in health. Drawing on 40 years of representative data at the household level (1971-2010), this paper examines changes in the major food groups and nutritional quality in at-home consumption by income and education. In a global trend of improving nutritional quality over the period, the study provides evidence of a positive trend for all income quartiles and for 4 levels of education. Inequalities were significant at the beginning of the period but on the decline in the 2000s: they were very pronounced between education levels in the 1970s but appear to be on the verge of disappearing by 2010; according to income level, they were limited and on the decline until 2010, but still persist.