Nationwide Food Consumption Survey

The Nationwide Food Consumption Survey which the Department of Agriculture (USDA) began in April, 1977, was reviewed in order to determine what types of analyses can be done with the data, what planning changes have occurred since survey conception in 1974, and whether it will yield accurate information on the diet of low-income families and of overall food consumption in the United States. The sample will be of 15,000 households, with 5,000 low-income households, almost half of whom participate in the food stamp program.