There is increased attention and funding to policies that can increase the presence of supermarkets in lower-income, ethnically diverse neighborhoods. While having access to a wide variety of foods is a basic human right, little is known about what purchases are made in supermarkets in these areas and the factors that influence them. The aims of this research are to: 1) establish a data sharing mechanism with a supermarket chain in Philadelphia to identify where profit-neutral substitutions (healthier for less healthy) could be made; 2) conduct interviews with retailers to assess the feasibility of marketing specific healthier product substitutions among lower-income ethnically diverse shoppers; and 3) develop and evaluate marketing strategies to increase the purchase of healthier products. Investigators will compare, for each of three product categories, sales of healthier products in an intervention and comparison store.
Start Date: November 2010
ID #: 68237
Principal Investigator: Gary Foster, PhD
Organization: Temple University
Funding Round: Round 5
Age Groups: Adolescents (grades 9 to 12), Adults and Families, Elementary-age children (grades K to 5), Preschool-age children (ages 3 to 5), Young adolescents (grades 6 to 8)
Race/Ethnicity: African American or Black, Multi-racial/ethnic
Keywords: Community setting, Food outlet, In-store marketing, Neighborhood, Point-of-decision prompts, Supermarket, Urban
Focus Areas: Food Access, Food Marketing, Pricing & Economics
Resource Type: Grant Summary
State: Pennsylvania
Related Research
September 2025
Food Insecurity-Related Stigma Among Adults in the United States: A Scoping Review
This review aimed to characterize individual- and structural-level stigma associated with government (ie, SNAP, WIC) and emergency food program (ie, food banks, pantries, cupboards, soup kitchens) utilization in the US. 5 databases (PubMed, PsychINFO, Web of Science, CINAHL, Sociological Abstracts) were searched in June 2024. The review included peer-reviewed articles (January 2004 – June 2024), MoreAugust 2025
Resources to Improve Implementation of the Healthy Eating Research (HER) Nutrition Guidelines for the Charitable Food System
This guide contains training materials, resources, tips, and examples of practices to help food banks improve the implementation of Healthy Eating Research (HER) Nutrition Guidelines for the Charitable Food System. To create this guide, the research team interviewed people working in food banks across the country to learn how they approach ranking foods using the MoreAugust 2025