Home Issue:How much is the average expenditure of Filipino families on food?

I have started this Home Issues series in my blog with the average spending of families on electricity. Now, I think I should have started with food as it is the most basic need. I used the same dataset (FIES 2009) as the one I used in electricity. The FIES is a nationally representative survey of around 40,000 families conducted all over the Philippines. The 2009 survey is the most recent available Public Use File.
I found that the average family spent P74,808 in the whole year of 2009, roughly $1,570.  The typical family in the Philippines during this time was composed of about 5 members (4.7 to be exact). The typical person's food consumption has amounted to P17,554, or $368.

The poorest family spent around P43,000 or $902 while the richest poured about P125,000 ($2,622) on food.In terms of share, the poorest families allocate more of their income, 66%, on food compared to richer families (30% for the richest grouping). This is an empirical fact because the poor have lower income.

Note:
The figures are based on my own calculations using the Public Use File of the 2009 FIES. For the official data, please contact the National Statistics Office (NSO).

Read the Home Issues: Electric Bill.
Spending on contraceptives article here.
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