Our results point to a high degree of convergence in global food systems.
Middle-income countries are indeed following trends in high-income countries,
measured across several dimensions of food system growth and change.
Although convergence may have slowed recently, it is still significant and
apparent in most important food system indicators.
Convergence is apparent in food expenditures for most important food
categories, such as meats and vegetables, and for high-value products such
as sugar/confectionery and soft drinks. While lower middle-income countries
are approaching a lower steady state of expenditure, especially during
1998-2004, they are still participating in the overall convergence trends.
Upper middle-income countries appear to be converging toward the same
steady state of food spending as the high-income countries.
Convergence is also strongly apparent in several measures of food system
modernization, including packaged food expenditures, supermarket sales,
and foodservice sales. The pace of change is rapid in the foodservice sector,
particularly in fast-food sales. Middle-income countries are on the same path
of convergence as high-income countries in most cases.
Overall, our results provide strong, broad-based statistical evidence to
support other observational or partial studies of food system modernization.