Income, consumption expenditure and food consumption

In the current socio-economic context of crisis, accompanied by the significant increase in prices, major concerns are imposed to ensure the well-being of the population, both in the Republic of Moldova and in other states. The well-being of the population, in turn, is determined by the interconnection between income and consumption. A higher level of the population's income leads to higher consumption, and the discrepancies between the incomes of different social categories affect their security and quality of life. The security and quality of people's lives also depends on the purchasing power of households, the quantitative value of consumption, its structure and quality, as well as the assimilated and promoted conceptions of consumption, the social policy of the state. In this paper, the income and consumption expenditure situation of the population in the Republic of Moldova is analyzed based on documentation from statistical sources, as well as other secondary sources of information. Also, the analysis of food consumption of basic products in the Republic of Moldova in comparison with Romania is carried out. The research showed that in the Republic of Moldova the incomes of the population, compared to neighboring countries, are at a lower level, 41% being spent, according to the family budget research, for food consumption. In general, the level of provision of the population with basic food products is appreciated as satisfactory, but there are significant gaps between different categories of consumers, which requires the support of these categories by the state and society.