Work

The Effects of Food Security Status and the Provision of Information on Consumers’ Food Preferences: An Experiment

Year: 2025

Type: dissertation

Abstract: Informational messaging has been shown to influence consumer’s dietary behaviour. Missing from the literature is an understanding of the preferences of food insecure individuals–over 20 percent of households in Canada experienced food insecurity in 2023. The purpose of this study is to determine how information affects the dietary preferences of individuals of varying food security statuses. In an incentivized pre-registered framed field experiment, participants bid on three food products under three informational treatments. Experimental sites were selected to ensure the inclusion of food insecure individuals. Results from this study reveal that the bids of food insecure individuals are dissimilar to those of food secure individuals; and, more importantly, do not align with the expected results based on previous findings in the literature. There is an evident need to include food insecure individuals in research on the effects of information on consumers dietary behaviour, particularly, if used to inform policy.

Source: The Atrium (University of Guelph)

Author: Price, Susan

Institution: University of Guelph

Language: English

Topic: Food Security and Health in Diverse Populations

Subfield: Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDGs: Zero hunger, No poverty, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: green

Funder: Arrell Food Institute, University of Guelph

OpenAlex ID: W7204614558

Cites: 111

Cited by:

Related to: 10