Food Dollar

The ERS Food Dollar measures the value of food production along the domestic food supply chains for dozens of detailed food spending accounts. The measures of value are reported in both millions of dollars and cents per food dollar. A "food dollar" is a single dollar bill that represents all U.S. spending on domestically produced food in that account. Representing all costs of producing food with a single dollar bill makes it easier to compare supply chain cost structures for different items, or to compare costs over time. On March 10, 2026, the Food Dollar model and underlying data system were updated to expand coverage with data on dozens of detailed food accounts and to refine the data to more accurately capture total food spending. Nominal data (i.e., not adjusted for inflation) are available for 2007 to 2024.<br>