Between 1954 and 1978 the proportion of total U.S. household food expenditure allocated to food away from home rose from 23 to 33 percent. Over the same time span, expenditures on food away from home (FAFH) increased 120 percent, in real terms, compared to a real increase of 38 percent for food at home As the demand for food accompanied by marketing services increases, food distribution methods are inevitably altered. This trend has been attributed to rising real incomes, to the availability of fast-. food establishments and to demographic changes, specifically household size and composition and the presence of a working wife.