Examining Malaysian Household Expenditure Patterns on Food-Away-From-Home

The censored Tobit model is applied on data from the Malaysian Household Expenditure Survey (1998/99) to examine household expenditure patterns on food-away-from-home (FAFH). Results indicate that the Chinese population, the urban residents, or those with higher monthly household income have significantly higher FAFH expenditures than their non-Chinese, rural, or lower household income cohorts, ceteris paribus. In addition, other socio-demographic characteristics such as age, gender, household size, or even education do not affect total monthly household expenditures on FAFH in a statistically significant manner. Based on these findings, several observations are noted to provide policymakers and food industry analysts with a better understanding of the habits and attitudes of Malaysian households vis-à-vis FAFH.