An Analysis On Rural Residents' Food Consumption In Jiangsu Province

Nutrition and health is now one of the hot topics concerned by all countries. Food consumption and the demand pattern are directly correlated to the condition of our nutrition. Based on the analysis of economic theory on the demand for food consumption and evaluation of research model related, this research is to analysis rural residents' food consumption characteristics, level and pattern in Jiangsu Province by using the description analysis and ELES model analysis. It also probes into the factors which exert a influence to food consumption, in particular using the PANEL-DATA model to analyze influence of income gap. At last, this research forecasts rural inhabitants' food consumption level and pattern of the coming ten years.The description analysis shows that: the mode of rural residents' food consumption in Jiangsu Province has developed more healthily with the improvement of living standard, but compared to the urban residents' food consumption, there is still a big gap. In addition, it surpasses the national average, but compared with other provinces, such as Shanghai, Zhejiang, there are obvious disparities. Moreover, through comparison of rural food consumption in Jiangsu Province with the goal in 2010 of national food consumption, we still see the gap.The empirical study on rural residents' food consumption level and structure shows that: 1^st. in recent years, the proportion of countryside inhabitant food expense occupied in the entire living expense has had a great drop, but it is still relatively higher than that of urban inhabitants; 2^nd, compared with the national counterpart, rural inhabitant food boundary expense tendency in Jiangsu Province is lower, but compared with the other living consumables, the food boundary expense tendency is still higher; 3^rd, study on the demand structure of rural inhabitant in Jiangsu Province shows that, the boundary expense tendency of foundational food, such as grain, cooking oil, vegetables and so on, is lower, and that of rich nutrition food, such as meat, eggs, milk and so on, is higher; 4^th, influence of income change to food consumption such as the meat, eggs, milk, aquatic products, tobacco and drinks, is greater than influence to foundational food such as grain, cooking oil and the vegetables; 5^th, all kinds of food price changes make a strongest influence on their own demands, but weaker on the demand of other food, the grain price change makes a relatively remarkable influence on the demand of other food; 6^th, income, is the primary factor which influence rural residents' food consumption, other than, the consumption custom and idea, the development level of food industry, urbanization and the degree of market are also important.In the long run, with increasing of income, the Engel's coefficient of rural residents in Jiangsu Province will be less and less; living level will be higher and higher and transit from comfortable life to wealth life. Internal structure of food consumption will be optimized significantly; meanwhile, nutrition situation will be improved remarkably.Based on findings in this study, the research puts forward the following relevant policy recommendations: strengthening correct guidance to food consumption; adjusting food related industry structure; increasing the income by any means possible; advancing the urbanization level and enhancing the degree of market; strengthening the surveillance on food safety to safeguard food consumption security of Jiangsu Province.