Restaurant foods are typically higher in calories than meals consumed at home. Menu labeling regulations by the U.S. Food and Drug and Administration aim to inform consumers about the calorie content of menu items. However, some consumers may already be making at least partially informed decisions. For example, as a rule of thumb, a consumer may be aware that deep-fried foods are higher in calories. He or she may also know to avoid side dishes like French fries and onion rings. Indeed, it has been argued that some consumers can already iden-tify which foods best satisfy their needs and wants...

Public risk management policies for dairy producers have the potential to induce expan-sion in milk supplies, which might lower farm-level prices and offset risk-reduction benefits. An evaluation of USDA's Livestock Gross Margin-Dairy (LGM-Dairy) insur-ance program finds economic downside risk significantly reduced, with potential to induce modest supply expansion (0 to 3 percent) if widely adopted. Supply impacts are likely limited due to relatively low participation levels and a minimal ("inelastic") supply response to risk. LGM-Dairy is more flexible and convenient than other risk...

Japan's agriculture has been inward oriented, protected by trade barriers from foreign competition. Even though the share of Japan's food consumption provided by Japanese production has gradually fallen, Japan's farm sector remains the second-largest among the countries negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Japan's food industry is increasingly integrated with TPP economies, although the TPP share of Japan's agri-cultural imports has fallen over time. The proposed TPP agreement would lead to more agricultural exports to Japan from TPP partners, likely dominating the total...

Pesticide use has changed considerably over the past five decades. Rapid growth char-acterized the first 20 years, ending in 1981. The total quantity of pesticides applied to the 21 crops analyzed grew from 196 million pounds of pesticide active ingredients in 1960 to 632 million pounds in 1981. Improvements in the types and modes of action of active ingredients applied along with small annual fluctuations resulted in a slight down-ward trend in pesticide use to 516 million pounds in 2008. These changes were driven by economic factors that determined crop and input prices and were influenced...

Cross-price elasticities are updated in this report, using the World Bank's 2005 International Comparison Program (ICP) data for 9 major consumption categories across 144 countries. The 2005 ICP offers the most recent consistent data set for such a large number of coun-tries. The consumption categories are: food, beverage and tobacco; clothing and footwear; gross rent, fuel, and power; house furnishings and operations; medical and health; transport and communications; recreation; education; and "other." Cross-price elasticities also are calculated and reported for a two-good demand system...

Over the last decade, growing demand for agricultural commodities-for both food and fuel-has increased the incentives for farm operators to increase production. One way to expand production and potentially increase the return to farming is by intensifying the use of existing cropland. One form of intensification is double cropping-the harvest of two crops from the same field in a given year. From 1999 to 2012 double cropping occurred on about 2 percent of total cropland in most years. Soybeans were, on average, the most common crop found on double-cropped acres over this time period, and, in...

Accurate and detailed prices are a key component to analyze a variety of important questions related to consumer behavior. Given the importance of food-away-from-home (FAFH) consumption in a typical American's diet, the variation in nutritional value across different types of FAFH meals, and evidence that prices may vary substantially across areas, Economic Research Service researchers created a novel dataset that can be used to study how prices may affect food choices, intake, and health outcomes. The Quarterly Food-Away-from-Home Prices (QFAFHP) data contain quarterly average prices without...

Since the late 1980s, multilateral and bilateral trade agreements have reduced tariff rates and worked to restrain the arbitrary use of nontariff measures, including sanitary and phytosanitary regulations. U.S. imports of fruits and vegetables have risen steadily dur-ing this period as more pathways (specific country-commodity combinations) for legal importation to the United States have gained approval, regulations for gaining import access have been streamlined, and treatment options for phytosanitary issues have been expanded. This report compares 2011 tariff rates with phytosanitary...

Broilers, young chickens bred for meat, account for nearly all U.S. chicken consumption. U.S. production of broilers grew rapidly until the mid-1990s, but growth then began to slow and production declined in 2009, with very modest growth since then. The industry's distinctive organization-with a high degree of vertical integration, nearly complete reliance on contract growers to raise chickens for poultry companies, and grower compensation based on relative performance-helped fuel growth in the early period, and growth provided good returns and low risks for growers. However, slowing growth...

This report examines the effects of the recent major recession and gradual recovery on county employment and unemployment rates, with an emphasis on rural America. The recession was marked by a 6-percent contraction in nonfarm employment and a doubling of the national unemployment rate between 2007 and 2009. Geographic variation in both the employment effects of the recession and the pace of job growth during the recovery has been striking, with large differences between regions, between metro and nonmetro counties, and between more and less rural nonmetro counties. We document these...