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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 2022
SNAP Purchasing Power and Food Insecurity During the Pandemic
Food price inflation is an adverse outcome of COVID-19 that makes nutrition security more difficult for low-income families with children. School closures and pandemic-related assistance programs placed additional strains on the retail food system, which may have further amplified inflationary pressure on the cost of foods needed to support a healthy diet. The goal of More
July 2022
Sweetened beverage taxes: Economic benefits and costs according to household income
Taxing sweetened beverages has emerged as an important and effective policy for addressing their overconsumption. However, taxes may place a greater economic burden on people with lower incomes. We assess the degree to which sweetened beverage taxes in three large U.S. cities placed an inequitable burden on populations with lower incomes by assessing spending on More
June 2022
Dynamics of macroeconomic factor effects on food assistance program participation in the United States
Macroeconomic factors relating to economic, financial, and sociological stress are identified and their impacts assessed concerning participation in key food assistance programs (SNAP, WIC, and NSLP). The econometric analysis covers the period October 1999 to September 2020. The impact of COVID-19 on participation in these programs also is quantified. Based on the parameter estimates obtained More
February 2022
The Impact of a Pricing Manipulation Intervention on Food Sales in a Small Community Grocery Store in Baltimore City
This study tested a pricing manipulation strategy in a small grocery store to assess the impact on food sales. The prices of 35 healthy foods were decreased over time while simultaneously increasing the prices of 45 unhealthy foods. Trends in sales were examined across each manipulation period. Total sales of healthy foods remained relatively stable More