The Older Americans Act of 1965, amended in 1972, states that many senior citizens eat inadequately because they lack financial means, knowledge, and mobility to purchase and prepare nourishing foods. This report examines how food purchasing patterns of senior citizens compare with other age groups. The age of household head exerts a considerable influence on family food expenditure patterns. Households in which the head was 65 years or over spent more per person on food prepared at home and less on food away from home than households headed by persons of other age groups.