Food and beverage prices can significantly affect food choices, as can individual economic stability and broader economic fluctuations. All families and caregivers should have the economic stability they need to invest in their children and help them thrive. Research in this area explores the possible health and economic impacts of using pricing and other economic strategies to promote consumption of healthy foods and beverages and discourage consumption of unhealthy products. It also explores macroeconomic impacts on food choice and the intersection between policies to support family economic wellbeing and food access and diet quality.

Research & Publications See all

July 2025

State Earned Income Tax Credit and Food Security: Results Among Economically At-Risk Households With Children

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of the state Earned Income Tax Credit on food insecurity among economically at-risk U.S. households with children and explore differential effects across sociodemographic groups. The authors used an intent-to-treat causal inference design and household-level data from all 50 U.S. states available from the Current Population More

March 2025

State Minimum Wage and Food Insecurity Among US Households With Children

This study aimed to assess whether state minimum wage generosity was associated with change in food insecurity among households with children and explore differential policy impacts across sociodemographic groups. This cross-sectional study of a national sample of US households from the Current Population Survey used a 2-way fixed effects modeling approach to test whether increases More

November 2024

Experiences with COVID-19 economic relief measures among low-wage worker families: a qualitative study

This study aimed to understand experiences with COVID-19 economic relief measures among low-wage worker households with children during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews from low-wage workers in households with children in two U.S. cities in 2022 (n = 40). The sample was recruited from a larger study which included survey measures More

August 2024

Philadelphia Beverage Tax’s Impact on Beverage Ad Expenditures and Number of Ads Purchased

On January 1, 2017, Philadelphia implemented a beverage excise tax. The study’s objective was to determine whether beverage advertising expenditures and the number of beverage ads purchased changed in Philadelphia compared to Baltimore because of this tax. Monthly beverage ad expenditures and the number of beverage ads purchased by brand from January 2016 through December More