Search

Introduction: Numerous environmental factors within supermarkets can influence the healthfulness of food purchases. This research aims to identify the changes in store healthfulness scores and assess the variations by store type and neighborhood deprivation using an adapted Consumer Nutrition Environment tool. Methods: Between January and May 2019, a total of 104 supermarkets in London were surveyed on 1–3 occasions. The adapted Consumer Nutrition Environment tool included data on 9 variables (variety, price, quality, promotions, shelf placement, store placement, nutrition information, healthier alternatives, and single fruit sale) for 11 healthy and 5 less healthy food items. An algorithm was used to create a composite score of in-store healthfulness and to assess inter-rater reliability. Longitudinal changes in overall store healthfulness and individual variables were investigated using multivariable hierarchical mixed models. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the differences by store type and neighborhood deprivation in each month. All analyses were conducted between January and July 2020. Results: The adapted Consumer Nutrition Environment tool showed acceptable inter-rater reliability. Large stores exhibited healthier environments than small stores (p

BACKGROUND For decades, Americans have increasingly relied on food away from home (FAFH) despite its association with negative health outcomes. Little is known about FAFH frequency and expenditures of adults with lower food security (FS) and their association with health outcomes, such as BMI. OBJECTIVES We evaluated patterns of adults' FAFH purchases by FS status and other demographic characteristics, and examined the association between FAFH frequency and BMI in adults of varying levels of FS. METHODS This cross-sectional study used data from the Consumer Behavior Survey, Food Security Survey, and anthropometric measurements to assess FAFH frequency and expenditures, FS, and calculated BMI of adults (≥18 y) who participated in the NHANES 2007-2014 (n = 20,733). We used multinomial logistic regression to examine the association between FAFH frequency quartiles (quartile 1: 0 n/wk; quartile 2: 1-2 n/wk; quartile 3: 3-4 n/wk; quartile 4: ≥5 n/wk) and BMI by FS category. RESULTS Although FAFH frequency was similar across FS levels, adults with high FS spent more dollars (${\$}$213.60) and a greater proportion (29.4%) of their food budget on FAFH compared with adults with marginal, low, and very low FS (${\$}$133.00, ${\$}$116.20, ${\$}$103.30 and 21.4%, 19.7%, 20.0%, respectively). Obesity prevalence was highest in adults with low FS (42.9%) and very low FS (41.5%), and lowest in adults with high FS (33.7%). FAFH frequency and BMI were positively associated in adults with high (P

The purpose of this study was to empirically explore antecedents of local food purchase preferences in wholesale distributors. This study investigates restaurants and chefs’ perceptions, motivations, and constraints in buying local food products from local wholesale distributors in a study conducted in Vancouver, Canada, and Christchurch, New Zealand. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with restaurants and chefs (31 in Vancouver and 28 in Christchurch). Overall there were some discrepancies found but results predominantly shows similarities between the two study sites. Findings demonstrated that purchasing of local foods from wholesale distributors was perceived as beneficial by restaurants and chefs, but they experienced challenges with purchasing. In the light of empirical findings, theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

OBJECTIVE: To compare food purchasing behaviors and diet quality of foods purchased between men and women who were the primary food purchaser for their households. METHODS: Food purchasing was measured via itemized receipts. The dietary composition of purchased foods was derived using the Nutrition Data System for Research (NDSR) and quality was assessed using the Healthy Eating Index-2010. RESULTS: Men comprised 17.2% of the household primary food purchasers in the sample (N = 204). There were no differences by gender in number of items purchased or number of receipts. Men made fewer of their purchases at stores (74.0%) than women (81.4%; p < 0.001).There were no gender differences in the quality of foods purchased overall or by source of purchase. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: In primary 46 purchasers, purchasing behaviors varied by 47 gender but not purchases did not. Food purchasing interventions should include both genders for 48 greatest impact.

Objectives We sought to investigate the association between food-outlet availability near Australian secondary schools and frequency of Australian students’ discretionary food purchases. Methods Secondary-school students in Perth (Western Australia) reported the frequency of their discretionary food purchases from food outlets near their school (17 schools, n = 2389 students grades 7–12, ages 12–17 y). Food-outlet availability was sourced from local governments, then geocoded. A mixed-effects model was used in analyses. Results Almost half of students (45%) purchased discretionary foods from food outlets near their secondary school at least weekly. Only the density of top-ranking fast-food chain outlets near secondary schools was associated with a significant increase in the frequency of discretionary food purchases. Conclusions Availability of major fast-food chains near Australian secondary schools appears to be a key driver of Australian students’ discretionary food purchasing. Restricting these outlets near schools may help reduce adolescents’ discretionary food intake.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits are rapidly depleted after distribution. This phenomenon, known as the benefit cycle, is associated with poor nutrition and health outcomes. Proposed interventions targeting the benefit cycle often focus on impulsive decision-making. However, it remains unclear whether shopper impulsivity is associated with food purchasing behavior. Using data from a prospective trial, we evaluate whether shopper impulsivity is associated with food purchasing behavior before and after households receive nutrition assistance. In this study, 249 low-income households in the Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, metropolitan area received monthly benefits for three months. Overall impulsivity and impulsivity subtraits of the primary shopper was assessed using the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11. Both total food expenditures and expenditures for two specific categories (fruits and vegetables, and foods high in added sugar) were evaluated. Generalized estimating equations were used to model household expenditures as a function of week since benefit distribution, impulsivity, and their interaction. Results showed that during the benefit period, food expenditures were cyclical and patterned by impulsivity. Shoppers with greater overall impulsivity spent $40.62 more in week 1 (p 0.001). While more impulsive shoppers spent more on foods high in added sugar throughout the month (p 0.05 for all weeks), no patterns were observed for fruits and vegetables. These findings suggest that greater impulsivity exacerbates cyclical food purchasing behavior. The impact of shopper impulsivity is especially notable for expenditures on foods high in added sugar. SNAP educational interventions to mitigate the benefit cycle may be strengthened by focusing on more impulsive shoppers and on strategies to reduce impulsive purchases of foods high in added sugar.

Background Early Childhood Education (ECEs) directors and teachers experience substantial barriers to implementing childhood nutrition recommendations. Diet in older children is influenced by nutrition environments surrounding homes and schools; influence of the community environment on ECEs is not understood. Objective Determine associations between community nutrition environments and ECE barriers to classroom nutrition practices, by ECE context [Head Starts, community-based childcare (CBCs), and family child care homes (FCCHs)]. Study Design, Setting, Participants Cross-sectional study including licensed Oklahoma ECEs. Locations of 457 grocery stores were determined in-person. Locations of participating ECEs and grocery stores were geocoded and analyzed using ArcMap 10.6. Measurable Outcome/Analysis ECEs were considered located within a “Food Desert” if no grocery stores were available within a 0.25-mile radius for urban ECEs, or 10-mile radius for rural ECEs. Presence of barriers to serving healthier foods and beverages were reported. Fisher's exact test was used to compare differences in barriers among those within Food Deserts versus Non-Deserts. Benjamini Hochberg calculations for False Discovery Rate were applied (α Results Fifty-four Head Starts, 159 CBCs, and 160 FCCHs participated with 24%, 27% and 37%- respectively- being located within a Food Desert. ECE descriptive characteristics including food purchasing and meal planning strategies varied by ECE context. Among Head Starts and CBCs, barriers were not different by Food Desert status (P > 0.0004). In FCCHs only, those located within Food Deserts reported a 20% higher prevalence of concern for food waste compared to those within Non-Deserts (P Conclusion Food Desert status was related to reported barriers in FCCHs only; therefore, those provider's experiences and perceptions may be most susceptible to influence of the community nutrition environment, compared to other ECE contexts. Findings suggest a need for future research and policy implementation to support FCCHs residing in low-access areas and experiencing difficulty implementing classroom health practices. Funding Early Care and Research Scholars: Head Start Graduate Student Research Grant (HHS2017-ACF-OPRE-YR-1219), OUHSC College of Allied Health Student Research and Creativity Grant, and Department of Nutritional Sciences.

This study examines consumer food purchasing behavior and awareness of food safety in China. We surveyed a total of 1015 consumers in Nanjing and Beijing and the results showed that consumers with a lower level of education tend to be less concerned about certain food safety factors compared to those with a higher level of education. The respondents with higher food expenditures were also more concerned about food safety than those who spent less money on food. Women, families with children or elderly people were also more concerned. Consumers in the used sample preferred to buy food from a super-market; paid more attention to the expiration date on the food label, food color and the nutritional content of food products. Consumers had little knowledge of who was responsible for food safety in China; therefore educating consumers on who was responsible for food safety in China may help mitigate consumers’ concerns.

Emerging adulthood (18-24 y) where50% of young adults attend tertiary education, is a transitional period that may provide an opportunity to influence future eating behaviors. The aim of this study was to identify possible strategies for encouraging healthy eating in university food environments.Over 4 wk, students from a large university completed an anonymous researcher-designed survey with both closed (n = 41) and open-ended (n = 3) questions assessing food purchasing, food choice behaviors, and opinions of the campus food environment. Results were reported as proportions (%) or mean ± SD. Chi-square analysis was used to determine differences between sex and campuses. The study took place at an Australian urban university with seven campuses. We recruited 653 currently enrolled students by convenience sampling.Respondents were mostly women (77%), aged25 y (83%), and enrolled full time (96%). Almost all participants purchased food or beverages on campus (93%), with the most frequently purchased items being hot beverages and sandwiches. The greatest determinants of food choice were taste, value, convenience, and cost. Female students placed more importance on health-related factors and followed more special dietary behaviors than male students. The most common improvements suggested were lowering the cost and increasing the variety of food.As most students purchase food on campus, there are opportunities to intervene to improve diet quality. Our results indicate demand for healthy food and that price manipulation is an important lever for change. This information will be used for changing the local university food environment but may be useful for planning interventions at other universities.

The amount of food sold online is increasing, but it accounts for a small share of total e-commerce. In this study, we investigate the factors that influence individuals' likelihood to buy food online. Applying a logit model to a sample of 34,488 respondents who participated in the Italian National Institute of Statistics multipurpose survey ‘Aspects of Italian Daily Life’, we explore the effects of socio-demographics and situational factors. We found that the food-online consumer is likely to be a young, well-educated, female, living in a small family, with a very good or adequate overall economic condition. Among situational factors, working time, being obese, having health problems, and practising a sport regularly positively affect the probability to buy food online. Surprisingly, distance from brick-and-mortar stores and car possession are not predictors of online shopping. These findings can support marketers and retailers in defining their marketing strategies and enhance the knowledge of this emerging food market.

Foodborne diseases is a worldwide public health issue. This study aimed to identify food safety knowledge among consumers in Jordan throughout the different steps included in the food handling process; specifically, purchasing, storage, and cooking. This was a multistage national representative study where a large number (n = 2500) of consumers in Jordan were approached randomly between May and October of 2018. A total of 1612 consumers (64.5% response rate) volunteered to participate in the study by answering a self-administered questionnaire. Chi-square test was used to calculate the relationship between the claimed safe food purchasing knowledge and risky practices at a significance level of (α = 0.05). ANOVA and T-tests were used to investigate if score differences in food safety knowledge were affected by different socio-demographic parameters such as level of education, working status, occupation and monthly income. Over half of participants reported good level of food safety knowledge. Food safety knowledge scores were significantly affected by age (p

Online grocery shopping offers an alternative to everyday grocery shopping, which often requires car travel. A growing marketplace of online grocery shopping services enables distributors to control ‘the last mile’ by which products reach consumers. However, realising the energy-saving potential of online grocery shopping entails addressing several problems, as increased e-commerce does not necessarily mean decreased car use. Today, calculated potential energy savings are based on estimates and assumptions rather than on thorough knowledge of consumers and their preconditions for e-commerce. This paper is based on a survey of 19 households that regularly buy groceries online. Qualitative interviews combined with travel diaries enable discussion of the household members’ rationales, attitudes, expectations, and mobility practices. Online grocery shopping is considered here as a social practice that could contribute to a more sustainable mobility. In line with social practice theory, practices are understood as successful configurations of material, meaning, and competence that are also dependent on networks of other practices. This framing enables discussion of the likelihood that consumers will change mobility practices as an effect of online grocery shopping. The paper suggests that mobility practices results from constraining activities in everyday life, in which urban planning, norms of food and food purchasing, and the search for better quality of life are more decisive than is the practice of online shopping per se. This paper contributes empirically and theoretically to the study of mobility practices and discusses, from a user-centred perspective, the possibility of creating sustainable transport solutions.

When a policy gives temporary incentives for healthy behaviors, how long does the impact last? I study the U.S. Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, which gives vouchers for healthy foods. Using household-level scanner data and exploiting a reform of the program, I find that the subsidies make purchases healthier, but the effect is short-lived. Demand model estimates imply that price differences between healthy and unhealthy foods play a large role in decreasing the program’s impact.

The purpose of this study was to assess the validity of using participant worn micro-camcorders (PWMC) to collect data on parent-child food and beverage purchasing interactions in the grocery store. Parent-child dyads (n = 32) were met at their usual grocery store and shopping time. Parents were mostly Caucasian (n = 27, 84.4%), mothers (n = 30, 93.8%). Children were 2-6 years old with 15 girls and 17 boys. A micro-camcorder was affixed to a baseball style hat worn by the child. The dyad proceeded to shop while being shadowed by an in-person observer. Video/audio data were coded for behavioral and environmental variables. The PWMC method was compared to in-person observation to assess sensitivity and relative validity for measuring parent-child interactions, and compared to receipt data to assess criterion validity for evaluating purchasing decisions. Inter-rater reliability for coding video/audio data collected using the PWMC method was also assessed. The PWMC method proved to be more sensitive than in-person observation revealing on average 1.4 (p 0.01) more parent-child food and beverage purchasing interactions per shopping trip. Inter-rater reliability for coding PWMC data showed moderate to almost perfect agreement (Cohen's kappa = 0.461-0.937). The PWMC method was significantly correlated with in-person observation for measuring occurrences of parent-child food purchasing interactions (rho = 0.911, p 0.01) and characteristics of those interactions (rho = 0.345-0.850, p 0.01). Additionally, there was substantial agreement between the PWMC method and receipt data for measuring purchasing decisions (Cohen's kappa = 0.787). The PWMC method proved to be well suited to assess parent-child food and beverage purchasing interactions in the grocery store.

In this paper we investigate how restaurant managements’ attitudes and behaviors influence decisions to purchase local foods as inputs to their products. An enhanced investigation of chefs’ and managers’ decision-making criteria could improve understanding of local food systems linkages with the restaurant industry. We apply a value chain framework to investigate activities that influence restaurants’ decision to purchase local foods. Results indicate that attitudes and behaviors associated with sourcing and product characteristics play an important role in local food purchase decisions in the restaurant value chain. Order processing time and uniqueness of products are the most significant reasons in restaurant managements’ decisions to purchase local foods. The implications of these findings for restaurants and producers are discussed. Our study contributes to the literature by expanding upon the criteria used by restaurants to make local food purchasing decisions.

Apart from being a cost, prices inform consumers on the quality of goods. To retain informative power, discounted prices are often presented together with their original value as an External Reference Price (ERP). Observing the impact of the ERP on consumer preferences using two contingent valuation surveys to wine consumers, the paper observes that the presence of both prices and ERPs guide consumer choices. In particular, ERPs shift the attention of consumers towards expensive products and high discounts, by providing information on quality and allowing for time-efficient decisions. Results show that ERPs: (a) have a positive impact on preferences, but less (in absolute value) than prices; (b) stimulate the choice of items with high price and large discounts; (c) make consumers revise their choices. The presence of an ERP can, in certain conditions, lead to a positive response to high prices.

OBJECTIVES: As obesity increases in sub-Saharan Africa, information is needed about factors influencing food choices in households with overweight members. The objective of this study was to assess women's food purchasing decisions in overweight mother-child dyads in Malawi. METHODS: We enrolled 50 mother-child (age 6–59 months) dyads in which either the mother, the child, or both were overweight in Lilongwe and Kasungu Districts. Research assistants accompanied each woman on a food shopping trip and filled out a structured observation form on the types of food purchased and locations of purchases. Upon returning to the woman's home, research assistants conducted an in-depth interview about the factors that influenced the woman's purchases, including asking them to sort 12 factors into piles that always, sometimes, or never influence their food purchasing choices. RESULTS: Observations showed that women most often purchased small quantities of foods needed to prepare relish (the dish accompanying the staple food), such as tomatoes (76%), green leafy vegetables (66%), cooking oil (56%), onions (44%), and fish (41%) at outdoor markets. Pile sorts and open-ended responses revealed that taste, cost, and food quality were the strongest factors influencing food purchases. Women explained that if a food is too expensive, they buy a smaller quantity or buy something else (e.g., fish instead of meat). Cooking food that their family enjoys eating influenced the foods women bought. Adding tomatoes, onions, and oil to relish was commonly described as making the food tastier. To make the child happy, >50% of the women said they buy food, such as sweets, packaged snacks, fruit, or fried food (e.g., doughnuts), specifically for their child. CONCLUSIONS: Cost, taste, and food quality were the most important drivers of women's food purchasing choices. Women used some of their minimal funds to buy unhealthy foods for their children, despite their overall emphasis on food cost and quality. These findings can be used by programs to reinforce healthy and decrease unhealthy food purchases. FUNDING SOURCES: Drivers of Food Choice (DFC) Competitive Grants Program, funded by the UK Government's Department for International Development and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and managed by the University of South Carolina, Arnold School of Public Health.

In this study we use detailed daily scanner data on household food purchases to examine monthly food expenditure patterns across food retail channels. We compare food expenditure patterns in high and low-income households comparing those where Supplementary Nutrition Assistance (SNAP) is received in the first 10 days of the month versus households which receive SNAP over the first 15 days of the month. We find that food expenditure patterns vary systematically across the month within different retail channels by income and SNAP payment schedules. Low-income households in early SNAP distribution areas decrease their grocery and mass/club/superstore expenditures at the end of the calendar month and supplement this decrease with increased food expenditures in convenience stores and food away from home. Households in staggered SNAP payment areas show far fewer systematic patterns given the more distributed payment system.

The controversy between altruistic (environment, animal welfare and rural and local development) and egoistic (health, food safety, quality or flavour) values as determining and explanatory factors of organic food consumption raises suspicions that it is not an end in itself but a means: consuming organic foods is a way to achieve healthiness, food safety, quality, etc. rather than an expression of environmental values. In that case, the term ‘organic’ could be assumed to be a heuristic cue. The aim of this study is to examine whether the heuristic role of the term ‘organic’ can indeed be assumed and to confirm the mediatory role of this type of food. To this end, personal interviews with 800 individuals were conducted in Spain. In view of the results it may be concluded that the term ‘organic’ plays an important role as a heuristic cue to superiority.

International audience; Despite interest in studying food purchasing behaviour of ethnic minorities, there is little research on the purchasing habits of indigenous peoples. The objectives of the present study were to determine differences in food consumption habits in non-Mapuche (Chileans), and people of Mapuche origin (the largest aboriginal group in Chile) who vary in their acculturation orientations, and to evaluate the effect of socio-demographic variables on the acculturation of Mapuche individuals. A personal questionnaire was administered to a sample of 400 people in the Araucanía Region and 400 in the Metropolitan Region of Santiago, Chile, stratified by ethnic group. The frequency of consumption of fish and seafood, fruit, "mate" (a typical herbal infusion), soft drinks, and meals in restaurants differed between non-Mapuche and Mapuche with differing acculturation orientations. Acculturation was significantly associated with the consumption of fish and seafood, mate, and meals in restaurants, and with the consumption of ethnic foods. Using the socio-demographic information, a binomial logit model was proposed for unordered (nominal) data, which proved significant as a whole (P < 0.01). Mapuche people who are under 35 years, belong to a higher socio-economic status and reside in an urban area (large or small cities), are more likely to be assimilated to Chilean culture.

Substantial empirical evidence exists regarding the importance of different factors underlying food choice in Western Europe. However, research results on eating habits and food choice in the Western Balkan Countries (WBCs) remain scarce. A Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ), an instrument that measures the reported importance of nine factors underlying food choice, was administered to a representative sample of 3085 adult respondents in six WBCs. The most important factors reported are sensory appeal, purchase convenience, and health and natural content; the least important are ethical concern and familiarity. The ranking of food choice motives across WBCs was strikingly similar. Factor analysis revealed eight factors compared to nine in the original FCQ model: health and natural content scales loaded onto one factor as did familiarity and ethical concern; the convenience scale items generated two factors, one related to purchase convenience and the other to preparation convenience. Groups of consumers with similar motivational profiles were identified using cluster analysis. Each cluster has distinct food purchasing behavior and socio-economic characteristics, for which appropriate public health communication messages can be drawn.

This study investigates the structural relationships among responses to website advertisements, website attitudes, brand attitudes, and purchase intentions in the case of web advertisements for casual-dining restaurants. Responses toward advertising (Rad) factors were categorized as cognitive responses and affective responses. The SEM model in LISREL was used to examine the interrelationships among the proposed hypothesized constructs. Several empirical results were obtained. First, Rad had a positive effect on website attitudes. Second, website attitudes had a positive effect on brand attitudes. Third, brand attitudes had a positive effect on purchase intentions. Finally, some discussion and implications of the study are provided.

The effectiveness of sequential harvesting in ensuring that potatoes produced by small-scale organic farmers in Embo, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, meet consumer quality expectations was investigated. A survey of organic and conventional potato consumers showed that absence of greening, sprouting and blemishes and a smooth skin texture were the criteria used by the consumers in selecting potatoes to purchase. Most consumers expected potatoes to store for three weeks post purchase. Based on consumer quality expectations, significantly higher quality losses were noted when potatoes were stored in a farmer’s store compared to sequential harvesting. After six weeks from crop maturity, sequential harvesting significantly reduced potato post harvest dormancy period but did not negatively affect sensory acceptability. Sequentially harvested potatoes met consumer quality and storage expectations. The practice provides resource-poor small-scale organic farmers with an efficient storage option where other methods and technologies may be inappropriate, ineffective or unaffordable.

The study has identified the difference between consumer characteristics and the selection of type of primary preference in food purchases in Turkey. Within the framework of utility maximization, an empirical model was specified and estimated using multinomial logit model. The estimation was based on the data collected household survey in June 2004. The results show that the age of respondents, gender of respondents, education and income level were among the important household characteristics influencing primary preference in food purchases. As a result, households who have high-income and high-education level more interested in food safety than households who have low-income and low-education level. In addition, female and old respondents are more interested in food safety than male and young respondents. It was suggested that the Turkish government should put into effect new arrangements such as providing financial credit at low-interest rate, reducing tax and encouraging investment for firm producing safety food.

The American consumer is obtaining more-and-more of his or her food at a restaurant, and that worries some people concerned with the Nation’s dietary health. To date, much of this concern seems to be directed at the fast food segment of the restaurant industry. This paper asks whether targeting one segment of the industry, such as fast food restaurants, is justified, or whether a more balanced view of eating away from home is required. To answer this question, we look to the future and ask whether Americans can be expected to purchase increasingly more fast food or more-and-more of the foods typically associated with full-service dining. One view is that sales at full-service restaurants will now grow relatively faster than sales of fast food. The argument supporting this position rests on rising incomes, the aging of the population, smaller household sizes, and other changes taking place in the population. Using a new full-information maximum likelihood procedure for estimating a system of censored expenditure equations, we find evidence to support this argument.

The aim of this study was to compare the energy and fat content of food purchased for home consumption by households comprising mainly overweight individuals (OH), with those comprising mainly lean individuals (LH). 214 supermarket shoppers and their household were recruited from a Tesco supermarket in Leeds (UK). Households collected supermarket receipts and completed a shopping diary for 28-days, and each member of the household completed a 4-day food record. OH purchased food higher in fat (38% total energy from fat) than LH, (34.9%: p=0.001) and they purchased more energy and fat per adult equivalent, per day than LH (10.05 MJ compared to 9.15 MJ: p=0.01 and 103 g compared to 86 g:p=0.001). Households were 15% more likely to be classified as OH for each additional MJ of energy purchased per person, per day, after adjusting for number of children, household size, age, sex and social class. It was concluded that food purchasing behaviour may be linked to the prevalence of obesity in households who shop at supermarkets.

Awareness, Perception, and Self-Reported Purchasing Behaviors of College Students Regarding Front-of-Package Nutrition Labeling Systems and Symbols by Audrey L. Kessler Traditional students enroll in post-secondary institutions during emerging adulthood. College enrollment is increasing and adult weight gain occurs most rapidly during the college-age years, with poor food decisions as a potential contributing factor. The present study examined the awareness, perception, and self-reported purchasing behaviors of college students regarding four front-of-package (FOP) nutrition labeling systems and symbols. Students were sent a 24-question web-based survey, with 908 completed surveys that met the research criteria. There were 888 (98.3%) respondents who recognized at least one of the four presented FOP nutrition labels. There were no significant differences between the groups that recognized one to four of the FOP nutrition labels in their stated likelihood to purchase foods with the specified labels. Students’ awareness of four commercial FOP nutrition labeling systems and symbols on product packaging did not have an impact on their food purchasing behaviors.

Meals, snacks, and beverages purchased at fast-food restaurants account for an increasingly large share of a typical American’s food budget and have been blamed for Americans’ expanding waistlines and poor diet quality. This study uses data from the 2003-11 American Time Use Survey to examine the effects of time-use behaviors, prices, sociodemographic characteristics, labor force participation, and prices on fastfood purchasing patterns in the United States before and after the Great Recession. Fastfood purchasers spend less time sleeping, doing housework, eating and drinking, and watching television than nonpurchasers, and more time traveling from place to place. They also tend to have higher incomes and higher education levels. While the time that Americans spent eating out at all restaurants declined during and after the 2007-09 recession, the share of the population eating at fast-food restaurants on a given day stayed fairly constant, seemingly unaffected by the economic downturn, but the share for sit-down restaurants declined.

This paper is based on partial results of a research project focused on the quantification and characterization of the main changes in diet and nutrition in Venezuela during the period 1970–96. Its aim is to characterize the evolution of the Availability for Human Consumption (AHC) at retail level of five micronutrients (iron, vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin and niacin). This characterization will be expressed in terms of levels, patterns and adequacy. These five micronutrients were the object of a cereal flour enrichment program that started in 1993. This program increased the already very high importance of cereals (corn and wheat flours) in the nutrition of Venezuelans and changed the AHC pattern, which had been relatively stable until 1992. In spite of a contraction of food purchasing power (FPP) during the stage 1992–96, growth in the adequacy of availability was observed. The conclusion is that this inverse relationship between these two variables is due to the enrichment program, which allowed significant increases in daily and per capita AHC of each of these five micronutrients despite the fall in availability of energy, protein and calcium. The program helped to compensate significantly for the diminution in AHC of some food groups that are important providers of those micronutrients in the Venezuelan diet.

Although food is a vital part of the chemical process of life, the manner in which people choose the foods that they eat is subject to a wide variety of external and internal influences. This study employed a sequential mixed method research design to investigate the influence of perceived body image, vanity and personal values on food purchasing behaviour among 18- to 30-year-old females. It was found that although personal values and orientation have a major influence on the food purchasing and consumption process, vanity, physical health and perceived body image were major factors of influence in the purchasing and consumption decision.

Surveys investigating adults’ sources of nutrition information have consistently found magazines to be nominated most frequently, particularly among women. A content analysis was undertaken to compare the advertisements in two magazines with a target audience of young women with those in four magazines oriented towards mature women. Seventy-two magazine issues having a 1992 publication date were sampled, and all food advertisements were coded. In the mature women's magazines, 47% of advertisements were for core (basic) food groups, and all five core food groups were addressed. Food advertisements in the young women's magazines addressed a narrower range of foods, promoted core foods at a significantly lower rate (12% of advertisements), and included only three of the core food groups. The noncore foods most commonly advertised were of low nutrient density and consisted mainly of alcohol, supplements, and cocoa products. Food advertising in young women's magazines frequently used images of lifestyle success and failed to emphasize nutrition or health information messages or dietary recommendations.There is a need to more fully explore attitudes to food and food purchasing behavior in young women and to develop nutrition education strategies to counter the advertising of predominantly nonmeal-type foods with low nutrient density in young women's magazines.

A large part of domestic food intake may be determined by retail food purchase behavior, and it is commonly believed that this may be significantly influenced by the shopper's state of food deprivation. In the present study, 198 subjects recruited just prior to shopping at a large supermarket completed questionnaires eliciting information on demographic and situational variables, along with measures of time since last eating (TSLE), hunger, and dietary restraint. Upon leaving the store, subjects provided investigators with itemized receipts, having first identified all “unintended” purchases. There were no consistent main effects of TSLE, self-reported hunger, dietary restraint scores, or relative body weight on the number or cost of total, intended, and unintended food and nonfood purchases. However, there were significant interactions of weight status and measures of food deprivation upon measures of food purchasing. Although normal-weight subjects tended to increase their food purchases with food deprivation, the number and cost of food items fell markedly with extended food deprivation among overweight subjects. These effects were largely specific to food (i.e., generally not observed for nonfood purchases), but showed no consistent associations with unintended purchases or with particular foods or food groups. Higher dietary restraint and relative body weight were associated with lower reported hunger ratings, but not differences in mean TSLE, or other subject characteristics. These results run directly counter to common beliefs and recommendations for weight control and dieting, but support earlier work indicating that the food purchasing behaviors of normal-weight and overweight individuals are differently affected by food deprivation.

The paper reports a test of hypotheses relating to consumers' innovative food purchasing and considers the implications of adaptive-innovative cognitive style, measured by the Kirton Adaption-Innovation Inventory (KAI), for adoption theory and consumer research. An empirical investigation of female consumers' (N = 151) self-reported purchasing of ‘healthy’ food innovations examines the relationship between KAI and purchase volume. Although KAI was, as hypothesized, weakly related to consumer innovativeness, a majority of respondents had personality profiles distinctly different from those normally associated with innovativeness. A subset of these ‘adaptors’ who were highly involved in the product field accounted for the highest level of brand purchase. Implications for adoption theory of both innovative and adaptive cognitive styles coexisting among market initiators are discussed.

groups using pre-tested questionnaires. The intervention comprised of ten 45-minute weekly interactive nutritionrelated education sessions which were implemented for 3 month period. OutcomeMeasures and Analysis: The mean scores on knowledge, attitude and behaviour (KAB) at baseline and endline were the outcome measures of the study. Independent sample t-test and paired sample t-test were performed to determine the differences in the mean scores between and across study groups, respectively. Results: Baseline knowledge, attitude and behaviour mean scores of the schoolchildren in the intervention and non-intervention groups were similar (p>0.05). The endline knowledge, attitude and behaviour mean scores in the intervention group were significantly higher compared with the other group (p

This information will be useful in assessing current needs and deficiencies, as well as food purchasing behaviors among high school students in California. Additionally, it provides insightful information for teachers regarding nutrition knowledge gain and behavior change of their students. Conclusions and Implications:Many factors influence teen buying and decision-making that have an effect on health. ‘‘Hunger Attack!’’ was designed to provide teens with the skills and knowledge to make healthier choices. The ‘‘Hunger Attack!’’ nutrition education curriculum addresses the connection between food insecurity and an increased risk of obesity. Funding: None

LEARNING OUTCOME: To explore socio-cultural issues of a Hispanic 5 A Day Campaign Social marketing research was conducted from July 1995 to September 1995 to formulate a 5 A Day campaign which targets tow-literate, low-to-moderate income Mexican Americans residing in Texas. The research objectives were to explore socio-cultural issues underlying eating and food purchasing habits, identify motivations and barriers to eating fruits and vegetables, and provide recommendations for communication concepts, messages and distribution channels. The research was conducted in three phases; individual interviews, focus groups and a phone survey.

Dairy product purchases of 1,061 southern households in 1972 and 1973 were analyzed. Quantities purchased increased with income. Whites bought more dairy products than blacks. Fluid milks represented approximately three-quarters of the dairy products purchases. Also, from mid-1972 to late-1973, households bought similar quantities of the various fluid milks despite price increases. They did not switch their purchasing practices from fluid milks higher in saturated fat and cholesterol to those that are lower. Dairy product purchases would have contributed significantly to "advised" intakes of calories, protein, calcium, fat, and cholesterol.

Although tourism's apparent financial benefit to the Guatemalan economy in terms of earning foreign exchange is well known, there has been little micro-economic research done on how the country's third largest export industry affects individual communities. Therefore, this study compares price and wage data to provide initial leads on how tourism affects the food purchasing power of wage earners in the developing tourist community of Panajachel. Research shows that between 1964 and 1978, tourist-industry demands on local food supplies helped inflate food prices far above wage increases, and contributed to a wage laborer's loss of food-purchasing power. Thus in most cases, wage-labor employment in Panajachel is not efficacious in terms of maintaining or increasing the ability to purchase food.