A British Food Puzzle, 1770-1850

Conventional income estimates imply gains so large that Britain's food consumption per caput should have risen by between 35 and 62 per cent between 1770 and 1850. Yet estimates of per caput foodstuff supplies show no rise. Three insights partly reconcile the discrepancy. First, the foodstuffs...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Economic history review 1995-05, Vol.48 (2), p.215-237
Main Authors: Clark, Gregory, Huberman, Michael, Lindert, Peter H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Consumer economics
Economic conditions
Economic history
Food
Food consumption
Food demand
Food economics
Food security
Food supply
Foodstuffs
History
Income
Income elasticity of demand
Income estimates
Surveys and Speculations
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Summary:Conventional income estimates imply gains so large that Britain's food consumption per caput should have risen by between 35 and 62 per cent between 1770 and 1850. Yet estimates of per caput foodstuff supplies show no rise. Three insights partly reconcile the discrepancy. First, the foodstuffs supplied by agriculture and net imports take a falling share of the food value consumed. Secondly, as incomes rise the income elasticity of food demand drops below the levels usually gleaned from worker surveys. Third, urbanization and industrialization depress food demand.
ISSN:0013-0117
1468-0289
DOI:10.2307/2598401