Shifts in the distribution of income tended to increase the demand for beef and decrease the demand for pork and chicken in the early eighties However, shifts in relative prices and other factors worked to decrease the demand for beef Consequently, the demand for beef declined from 1980 to 1985 Despite only limited information on income distribution, one can estimate its effect on the demands for beef, pork, and chicken The article shows how income distribution will affect market demand given the functional form selected for consumer demand