What food do we buy and how much do we spend on it? Socioeconomic conditions and budget for food consumption (Colombia, 1993-2014)

Abstract

The objective of this article is to analyze the relation between socioeconomic conditions and the budget allocated to food products in Colombian households between 1993 and 2014. The question guiding the research was: how do socioeconomic conditions affect food expenditure in Colombia that period? To answer that question, we used the national Quality of Life Survey, carried out by the National Department of Statistics. The methodology used was quantitative: descriptive analysis and linear regression models. Six dependent variables were built for the regression models. The first is the ratio of average monthly expenditure on food products to the average total monthly expenses of Colombian households. The other five variables are the ratio of average monthly expenditure by food group (meats; grains; fruits and vegetables; bread; milk; and eggs) to the average monthly expenditure on food per household. The hypotheses to be confirmed are: a) the proportion of the budget allocated to food products in Colombian households behaves according to Engel's Law; b) the differences in food consumption depend on the socioeconomic conditions of Colombian households; and c) there is food diversification. The article is divided into five sections; the first provides a review of specialized literature; the second describes the data and methodology used; the third presents the results of the study; and the fourth discusses the results. The last section offers conclusions. Findings include confirmation of the hypotheses, since a high level of inequality in food consumption was revealed, which even increased during the period analyzed. The article calls for debate regarding the theoretical and empirical frameworks built to date in the sociology of food consumption, in order to understand food practices.