Currently there is much interest in incentivizing the purchase of healthier food items among lower-income populations. The purpose of this project is to pilot test a double-dollar incentive program traditionally used at farmers’ markets to increase purchases of fresh, frozen, and canned fruits and vegetables in a large grocery store retail setting (Hannaford). Approximately 400 adult shoppers who live with a child under 18 years of age and regularly use the Hannaford store location will be recruited and enrolled in the study in rural Maine. Investigators will collect baseline purchasing data for all participants, then establish and collect data on both a control and an intervention group. Both groups will receive a 5 percent discount on all purchases at the participating store, and the intervention group will receive an additional “2 for the price of 1” discount on fruits and vegetables. Investigators will compare “per shopping month” fruit and vegetable sales within individuals (pre- to post-intervention) and between individuals (intervention and control) as both total sales of fruit and vegetables and as a percent of total food purchased. Findings from this research will help inform grocery retailer efforts to encourage healthier purchases.
Testing the Effectiveness of a Double-Dollar Incentive Program to Increase Purchases of Fruits and Vegetables
Start Date: July 2015
ID #: CAS024
Organization: University of New England
Project Lead: Michele Polacsek, PhD, MHS
Age Groups: Preschool-age children (ages 3 to 5), Elementary-age children (grades K to 5), Young adolescents (grades 6 to 8), Adolescents (grades 9 to 12), Adults and Families
Resource Type: Commissioned Research Project Summary
Focus Areas: Food Access, Pricing & Economics
Race/Ethnicity: White, Multi-racial/ethnic
Keywords: Food outlet, Fruits and vegetables, Grocery store, Point-of-decision prompts, Rural, Supermarket, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
State: Maine
Related Research
November 2017
A Supermarket Double-Dollar Incentive Program Increases Purchases of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Among Low Income Families With Children: The Healthy Double Study
This pilot study was conducted to determine whether a supermarket double-dollar fruit and vegetable (F&V) incentive increases F&V purchases among low-income families. The study was carried out in a supermarket in a low-income rural Maine community. The participants were low-income and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) supermarket customers. The participants … More
February 2016
Minimum Stocking Levels and Marketing Strategies of Healthful Foods for Small Retail Food Stores
The healthfulness of foods and beverages found in retail food stores differs widely across the United States, both by location of the store as well as by store type. Some communities have limited access to stores that carry healthful staple foods such as fruits and vegetables, whole grain-rich foods, and … More
January 2019
Evaluation of the USDA FINI Program Finds Benefits for Consumers, Farmers and Retailers, and Local Economies
In December 2018, Congress passed a new farm bill which included a reauthorization of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive (FINI) Grant Program. This brief summarizes the findings of a recent qualitative evaluation of FINI, which concludes that the program has benefits for consumers, farmers and … More