Nutrient elasticities of food consumption: the case of Indonesia

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess nutrients elasticities of calories, proteins, fats, and carbohydrates in Indonesia. Design/methodology/approach Quadratic Almost Ideal Demand System is used on Indonesian socioeconomic household survey data. Findings Expenditure elasticities of nutrients in overall model range from 0.707 (for carbohydrates) to 1.085 (for fats), but expenditure elasticities in rural areas are higher than those in urban area. Most of price elasticities of nutrients have very small absolute value (not elastic) and all values are lower than the expenditure elasticities. However, the price of five groups of food commodities, namely, rice, oil and grease, fishes, meat, and other foods give significant influence on nutrients consumption. Research limitations/implications This research only includes four micronutrients, namely, calorie, protein, fat, and carbohydrate. Originality/value This research is one of very limited literatures about nutrient elasticity of food consumption in Indonesia.