The nutrition transition in China has proceeded to the extent that the food -consumption behaviour of low-income and high-income groups is different. Failure to consider these differences could lead to inappropriate assumptions about some basic food policy issues. This analysis was undertaken using a sample of adults 1850 years old from the 1991 China Health and Nutrition Survey. Low-income families have a greater propensity to increase or decrease fat and calorie intakes than high-income families. This difference has important, policy implications and shows why it should be considered in making decisions regarding consumption behaviour. Selecting the appropriate income switching or cut-off point is central to capturing this structural difference.
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