Over the past few decades, behavioral economics, social psychology, and neuroscience research has suggested that people are often irrational and their choices are frequently the consequence of automatic, hard-wired, instinctual processes made without conscious awareness. This paper reviews some of the evidence that dietary behaviors are, in large part, the consequence of automatic response to More
In 2009, the U.S. Department of Agriculture implemented changes to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) food package. This paper explores the perceptions of owners and managers of small food stores about implementation successes and challenges related to the new WIC package. Findings from qualitative interviews across seven states indicate More
This study examined the energy, saturated fat, and sodium content of entrées at national chain restaurants subject to menu labeling regulations in King County, Washington, at six and 18 months after the implementation of the regulation. Researchers evaluated the nutrition content of entrées at 11 sit-down restaurants and 26 quick-serve chains for items that were More
Using a large representative sample of 56 California high schools, this study examined the influence of comprehensive food and beverage legislation on both school meal participation and revenue. Researchers found that a year after California’s legislation was implemented, participation in the free/reduced lunch program increased significantly, thus increasing total meal participation. There was a slight More
The U.S. food and beverage industry recently released a new front-of-package nutrition labeling system called “Facts Up Front” that will be used on thousands of food products. This article discusses the results of a randomized controlled study to test consumer understanding of the Facts Up Front system compared to the Multiple Traffic Light system. The More
This paper describes the results of the first national study to describe Head Start program practices in three areas: assessing body mass index (BMI), addressing food insecurity, and determining children’s portion sizes. Researchers found that nearly all programs (99.5%) reported obtaining height and weight data, but not all calculated BMI or discussed height and weight More
This article discusses the results of a study that examined the provision of water and student water consumption in food service areas (FSA) in a random sample of San Francisco, California Bay Area schools. Barriers to and strategies for implementing federal and state drinking water requirements were also examined. Researchers found that 14 of 24 More
This article examines prominent cases from corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts by soda industry leaders PepsiCo and Coca-Cola and compares them with tobacco industry CSR campaigns. Researchers found that major soda manufacturers have recently employed elaborate, expensive, multinational CSR campaigns. The campaigns echo the tobacco industry’s use of CSR to focus responsibility on consumers rather More
This article provides an overview of the growing digital media and marketing landscape, focusing on four developments that are shaping marketing strategies and techniques: 1) the growth of interactive games and increasing sophistication of augmented realities and other immersive features of digital media; 2) the rapid explosion of social media and the emergence of marketing More
This article discusses the results of a study that compared foods and beverages served to 2- to 5-year-olds by type of child-care site and participation in the federally-funded Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). Results from a statewide survey of California child-care providers suggest that CACFP child-care sites in general, and Head Start centers More
Newsletter
Contact
