Friday, Jan. 15, 2010

Consumers trade down in food buying

How consumers feel about the economy influences what they buy at grocery stores and restaurants, and those shopping patterns affect demand for farmers' crops and commodities. Analysts say consumers have "traded down" in their food purchases, and more people are eating at home. A livestock economist told the American Farm Bureau Annual Meeting this week that consumer demand for meat and poultry products remains the big question facing farmers this year. Farmers increase winter lettuce plantings