FOOD PREFERENCE AND CALORIE INTAKE BEHAVIOUR IN BANGLADESH

Food-specific and total calorie intake functions were estimated with respect to six selected food items - rice, wheat, potato, pulses, fish and edible oil- using the 1981-82 Bangladesh Household Expenditure Survey data. All the food-specific calorie price coefficients had expected sign except for pulses in the case of urban households. While calories from all other food items were normal goods, those from wheat were inferior goods for all the classes of households. Rice price had greater impact on total calorie intake for urban than for rural households. The income elasticity of demand for total calorie was higher for rural than for urban households. An account of quality preference revealed that people would substitute high-cost for low-cost-calorie foods with rising income even at the lower level income.