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- Title
The effect of food stamps on fibre intake.
- Authors
Zimmer, David M.
- Abstract
This paper examines the impact of food stamps on fibre intake, using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Study (NHANES), and a matching estimator to address possible endogeneity of food stamp participation with respect to dietary behaviour. Results suggest that food stamps reduce flbre intake by approximately 1 1 per cent. Food stamps also reduce the probability of reaching the daily recommended 20-gramme threshold by 18 per cent. But why do food stamps reduce fibre intake? A long-running concern is that, despite restrictions preventing food stamp recipients from using them at fast food/pizzas establishments, the fungible nature of household budgets might produce a link between food stamps and the consumption of such low fibre fare. However, the data do not support that conjecture. Rather, the reason for reduced fibre intake appears to be that food stamp enrolees consume 50 per cent fewer servings of legumes (beans) and 30 per cent fewer servings of pasta/rice. Those foods, long associated with low-income diets, also happen to be rich in fibre.
- Subjects
FOOD stamps; FIBERS; PERIODIC health examinations; FOOD consumption; CONVENIENCE foods; HOUSEHOLD budgets
- Publication
Economic Issues, 2023, Vol 28, Issue 2, p71
- ISSN
1363-7029
- Publication type
Article