The decline in food share has also been followed by a change in structure of
consumer food consumption. Taking as an example the case of Greece (Table
1.1) we notice that in the last 40 years the consumption of meat has tripled,
the consumption of vegetables and milk has doubled, while the consumption
of the other food categories has also increased but not so rapidly with the
exception of cereals where the consumption has declined.
CURRENT FOOD CONSUMPTION ISSUES
One way to think about food consumers in developed countries, such as
the USA and EU countries is that they have moved up Maslow’s hierarchy of
needs (Figure 1.2). People at lower income levels want firstly to satisfy their
physiological needs for food based on the food preferences of their culture.
When income levels increase, a widespread fact in Europe and the USA,
consumers move higher on the pyramid. As consumers gain affluence, their
attention turns to the quality of food they eat. People then demand foods that
are safe or that promote good health and become more concerned about
food safety, like pathogens and disease risks.