Americans ate about 150 pounds of red meat per person in 1978, and spent roughly 25 to 30 percent of each food dollar for such products.1 Data from the 1972-73 Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Consumer Expenditure Survey makes it possible to study the impacts of income, race, religion, age, and family size on red meat purchases. Understanding the influence of these factors helps to explain current economic conditions in the meat industry.
