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Using Scanner Data to Answer Food Policy Questions

This two-day conference examined how proprietary scanner data can contribute to food policy research.  The June 2011, conference was a collaboration of the USDA Economic Research Service and Farm Foundation, NFP.  Review the conference presentations and posters.

Session 1:  Impact of Economic Shocks on Consumers
Substitution Bias: Evidence from the 2008 Spike in Food Prices
Aviv Nevo, Northwestern University

Variety and Cost Pass-Through Among Supermarket Retailers
Timothy J. Richards of Arizona State University, Stephen F. Hamilton of California Polytechnic State University,
and William Allender of Arizona State University

Investigating Price Pass-Through in Local Milk Markets
Ashley Spalding and Sofia B. Villas-Boas,  University of California, Berkeley

Session 2: Impact of Food Labeling
Mandatory Labeling Vs. Fat Tax: Evidence from the French Fromage Blanc and Yogurt Market
Olivier Allais of INRA-ALISS, France; Fabrice Etilé of INRA-ALISS and Paris School of Economics, France; and Sébastien Lecocq, INRA-ALISS, France

Can Information Costs Affect Consumer Choice? Nutritional Labels in a Supermarket Experiment
Kristin Kiesel of California State University, Sacramento, and Sofia B. Villas-Boas, University of California, Berkeley

Can Household Consumers Save the Wild Fish?
Eric Hallstein and Sofia B. Villas-Boas, University of California, Berkeley

Session 3: Consumer Responses to New WIC and School Nutrition Policies
Effects of the Revised WIC Food Package on Redemption Patterns
Stacy Gleason and Jennifer Pooler,  Altarum Institute

Food Purchases by WIC Households: Use of Scanner Data
Miyoung Oh of Iowa State University, Ariun Ishdorj of Texas A&M University, and Helen H. Jensen of Iowa State University

Evaluating the Impact of School District Nutrition Policies on Household Food Purchasing Patterns Using Nielsen Homescan Data
Shirlee Lichtman, Stanford University

Session 4: Competition and Price Response
Variety and Prices in Supermarkets: Can Store Competition Hurt Consumers?
Andre Trindade, Northwestern University

Price Responsiveness for Sugar Sweetened Beverages by Family Body Weight Size: Evidence from a Large National Retailer in Texas
H. Shelton Brown, III,  University of Texas, Austin

Session 5: Keynote Address
Innovations in Scanner Data: Opportunities for Policy Researchers
Paul Donato, EVP and Chief Research Officer, The Nielsen Company

Session 6: Tracking Healthy Purchases
Demand for Nutrition: A Cross Country Comparison of US, UK and France
Aviv Nevo, Northwestern University;  Rachel Griffith, IFIS; Pierre Dubois, Toulouse School of Economics; and Ephraim Leibtag, ERS

Using the Quarterly Food at Home Database
Jessica Todd, ERS

Do Consumers’ Food Purchasing Decisions Vary by Store Format?
Richard Volpe, Abigail Okrent and Ephraim Leibtag, ERS

Session 7: Challenges and Successes of Using Scanner Data for Public Policy
Using Scanner Data for the Public Good
Shu Wen Ng, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Panel:
Shawn Fremstad, Center for Economic and Policy Research

Mary Muth, RTI International

Mark Lino, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, USDA

Helen Jensen, Iowa State University

12-05

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