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 this study is to provide insight into food price increases and how they are affecting the affordability of a nutritionally balanced diet. Using a longitudinal design that involves statistical modeling of food costs across geography and over time, the specific aim of the project is to measure and assess disparities in food-price inflation during the COVID-19 pandemic using the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) as a benchmark. The study uses store-level scanner data from across the United States providing volume and dollar sales for thousands of individual grocery items. It also makes use of a nationally-representative consumer panel to better understand disparities in the cost of the TFP.

Start Date: 6/15/2022