A strong food and agriculture system is fundamental to economic growth, poverty reduction, environmental sustainability, and human health. The Agriculture and Food Series is intended to prompt public discussion and inform policies that will deliver higher incomes, reduce hunger, improve sustainability, and generate better health and nutrition from the food we grow and eat. It expands on the former Agriculture and Rural Development series by considering issues from farm to fork, in both rural and urban settings. Titles in this series undergo internal and external review under the management of the World Bank's Agriculture and Food Global Practice.

The Department of Rural E,conomy provides the opportunity for academic staff members to present unrefereed general information, preliminary results, and points of view in printed form for the use of interested readers. While the Department supports and administers these projects, the ideas and opinions expressed are strictly those of the authors. Readers are encouraged to communicate directly with the authors on matters of interest or concern relating to these publications.

Dynamic almost ideal demand systems are estimated for meat aggregates and for disaggregated meat products. Tests for weak separability show that consumers choose among meat products rather than meat aggregates such as “beef” or “chicken.” Therefore, tests for structural change in the meat aggregates may be biased. Tests for structural change in the meat products show an exogenous constant annual 6.4% growth in chicken parts demand from 1965 to 1985 and a 3.5% decline in beef table cut demand after 1974. Increased demand for convenience may explain these changes.

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