Mary Bohman

The views expressed are those of the author and should not be attributed to the Economic Research Service or USDA.

Food industry responds to consumer demand for health, convenience, and other traits

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U.S. per capita consumption of fluid milk and cheese, 1970-2010

Long-term, ongoing and widespread

Drivers ◦ Technology: better faster equipment, pest management practices

◦ Organizational innovations: specialization of production into stages, via contracts, via hiring custom services

But, not really very “corporate”—still dominated by family businesses

Food and farming continue to change in response to ◦ Consumers balancing time and desire to eat better ◦ Food industry providing convenience and meeting

consumer demand for taste and health ◦ Income and productivity growth in developing

countries reshaping global agricultural markets ◦ New technology and innovations in organization ◦ Evolving market opportunities including organic and

local foods

Policy evolves to meet new demands on food and agriculture sector