An Empirical Study of Food Demand in Vietnam‪.‬

I. Introduction Food consumption has been a subject of research all over the world. It is especially meaningful in developing countries where food expenditures account for a relatively large share of household income. Studies of food consumption shed light on food-related nutritional policies. They provide estimates of how food consumption is affected by changes in prices, income, and taxation policies (Dunne and Edkins 2005). Food consumption in Vietnam has been an important issue, not only because it is related to poverty, food security, but also because it is highly correlated with living standards and household resources. Vietnam has undergone a shift in the population's diet structure with a decrease in carbohydrates and rice consumption and an increase in protein sources, fruit and vegetables (FAO 1999). The demand for non-food goods and services grows faster than the demand for food. The demand for vegetables, fruit, and meat rises more quickly than the demand for grains and tubers. So studying food consumption can give a better understanding how the demand for food responds to shocks in prices, income, and policies. Given the importance of this issue, there has been surprisingly little research on the demand for food in Vietnam. In a recent contribution, Thang and Popkin (2004) study the patterns of food consumption in Vietnam and its effects on socioeconomic groups, while Hop et al. (2003) focuses particularly on the trends in food productions for the last twenty years. Figuie (2003) analyses vegetable consumption behaviour in Vietnam, while FAO (1999) considers the relationship between food consumption and nutrition.