Unit Equivalent Scales for Specific Food Commodities

For many analyses, a per capita specification of the effects of population is not adequate. The per capita specification ignores differences in consumption that are due to differences in age and sex of individuals. A unit equivalent scale can account for these age and sex differences. Unit equivalent scales are estimated for five food commodities and for total food from weekly household expenditure data. The effects of age and sex on expenditures, economies of household size, changes in scales with income level, and changes in the demand for food over time caused by changing age‐sex composition are estimated.