URBAN-RURAL CONTRASTS IN DIET: THE CASE OF CHINA

Abstract

From an almost infinite variety of available materials, each culture selects those that it accepts as food. Most diets are based on a carbohydrate-rich staple, supplemented by other foods. Animal sources of protein are the most desired but the most expensive to produce and acquire; thus, they command high prestige. With increasing prosperity, diets contain more animal foods and fewer staples (Bennett's law), even as the proportion of income used to purchase food declines (Engel's law). Because of higher incomes in cities, urban residents of developing countries spend a smaller percentage of their income on food than do rural residents, and they eat a higher-quality diet. However, Basta found that recent migrants from the countryside in many developing nations do not enjoy improved diets. This paper reports on research, based on published government statistics, that finds that in China, the poorest segment of the urban population (1) spends a higher percentage of its income on food than do rural people but (2) enjoys a higher-quality diet. [Key words: diet, China, nutrition.]