Dave D. Weatherspoon

Price and Expenditure Elasticities for Fresh Fruits in an Urban Food Desert

This study addresses the knowledge gap concerning the demand for fresh fruit in an urban food desert, where healthy foods are scarce by definition. Using register data from a non-profit greengrocer in Detroit—one of America’s largest and most severe food deserts—expenditure and price elasticities of fresh fruits are estimated. The results show that, if urban food desert consumers are given access to normally priced produce of acceptable quality, they will purchase it. Expenditure was found to play a major role in determining fruit demand. The food desert consumers were also found to be more price responsive than the average US consumer. The policy implications are clear: introducing neighbourhood stores providing access to good quality produce at competitive prices could be an important component of increasing fruit consumption.

Is agricultural research still a public good

Biotechnology is redefining the nature of agricultural research and intellectual property. In response, public agricultural research institutions are increasingly protecting their intellectual property and commercializing research results. This raises the question: Is agricultural research still a public good? This paper is a critical first step in understanding how increasingly private ownership of intellectual property affects the agribusiness environment and the evolving role of public agricultural research institutions. The innovative step is the development of a neo-Schumpeterian model which examines whether commercialization of public research maximizes social welfare. The model contains two types of research firms: large firms such as the major life-science companies; and small university-related firms (SMURFs). Results show that both large firms and SMURFs underinvest in research relative to the social optimum, that research investment can exhibit cyclical behavior, and that there is a continued, albeit diminished, role for public agricultural research as the life-science revolution progresses. lJEL Classifications: Q13, O34, L10r

Fresh vegetable demand behaviour in an urban food desert

Food deserts are associated with lower quality diets and higher obesity rates. One hypothesis for their emergence is that retailers avoid food deserts because demand side factors such as low income limit demand for healthy foods. A competing hypothesis is that supply side factors cause prohibitively high costs of operation for grocers – leading to limited access to healthy foods and thus low expressed demand. The direction of causality has important implications for improving diets and health of food desert residents. This paper analyses Detroit food desert residents’ fresh vegetable purchasing behaviour using data from a non-profit grocer. The evidence confirms that these consumers respond to prices and income similarly to the average American, however, they face a different set of constraints. Both supply and demand side factors are at work – access problems are critical, but even with better access low incomes and other demand side issues limit vegetable consumption.

Price and Income Elasticities for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables in an Urban Food Desert

Detroit, MI is arguably America’s worst food desert, in terms of size and number of people impacted, and is a city where there have been no full-service supermarket chains operating since 2007. This study addresses the knowledge gap concerning the demand for fruits and vegetables in a predominantly African American food desert. Using retail data from a non-profit owned retail outlet specializing in fresh fruits and vegetables in the Piety Hill community of Detroit, this study estimates the income and price elasticities of fresh fruits and vegetables among residents of this low-income, food-desert community. The results of this study show that if urban food desert consumers, from an environment that has been predominantly serviced by convenience and liquor stores for several decades, are offered a normally priced healthy good of relatively acceptable quality that is accessible by the community, they will purchase those goods. This study is a seminal approach in addressing the notion that perception, additional data, and innovative intervention strategies are required to effectively pursue long-term solutions to the urban food desert problem.

Food Retailing in an Urban Food Desert: Strategies for Success in Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

Demand for and access to affordable, nutritious food is at the forefront of the food desert problem. Detroit, MI is arguably America’s worst food desert, characterized by the scarcity of nutritious foods, and unknown demand for and consumption of healthy food products. Primary data was analyzed to determine factors influencing healthy food consumption in inner-city Detroit. Affordability, access, and consumer perception were found significantly to impact food desert consumers’ decisions to consume fresh fruits and vegetables.

Household acquisition of healthy food away from home

Purpose The objective of this study is to analyze households’ acquisition of healthy food away from home (FAFH) from restaurants. Specifically, determinants of households’ decision to purchase healthy FAFH, the share of households’ FAFH expenditures allocated to healthy FAFH and the share of households’ FAFH calories obtained from healthy items are identified. Design/methodology/approach Using data from the National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey, the UK Food Standards Agency’s Nutrient Profiling Model is used to classify the healthfulness of households’ FAFH purchases. A double-hurdle model is estimated to identify determinants of households’ decision to purchase healthy FAFH and the share of their FAFH expenditures and calories allocated to healthy items. Findings Households’ acquisition of healthy FAFH varies with income, food assistance, FAFH purchase frequency, dieting, restaurant type, household composition, region and season. There is little difference in the impact of these factors...

Rethinking household demand for food diversity

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a group-based food diversity index, which represents diversity in household expenditures across food subgroups. The index is compared to a product code-based index and applied to reassess determinants of food diversity demand. Design/methodology/approach A group-based food diversity index is developed by adapting the US Healthy Food Diversity Index. Using Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey data on 4,341 US households, correlation coefficients, descriptive statistics and linear regressions are estimated to compare and reassess the determinants of group and product code-based food diversity demand. Findings Results show that the group and product code indices capture different forms of food diversity. The indices are only moderately correlated and have varying means and skewness. Education, gender, age, household size, race, SNAP and food expenditures are found to significantly affect food diversity. However, the magnitude and direction of the effects vary between group and product code indices. Given these differences, it is essential that studies select a diversity index that corresponds to their objective. Results suggest that group-based indices are appropriate for informing food and nutrition policy, while product code-based indices are ideal for guiding food industry management’s decision making. Originality/value A group-based food diversity index representative of household expenditures across food subgroups is developed.

Food expenditure patterns, preferences, policy, and access of Rwandan households

An extended period of economic growth along with stubborn childhood stunting and wasting levels raises questions about how consumer food purchasing behaviors respond to income increases in Rwanda. The purpose of this paper is to assess the role income, prices, policy, agricultural production, and market access play on how rural households purchase different food groups.,Six separate log-normal double hurdle models are run on six different food groups to examine what affects the probability a household purchases in each food group and for those who do purchase, what determines the quantity purchased.,Rural Rwandans are price and expenditure responsive but prices have more impact on food group purchases. Crop production resulted in reduced household market procurement for its associated food group but had mixed effects on the purchases of all other food groups. Rural Rwandans purchase and consume low amounts of animal-based proteins which may be a leading factor related to the high stunting and wasting rates. Owning an animal increased the purchased quantity of meat but lowered the purchased quantity of most other food groups.,Results suggest that policies and programs have to address multiple constraints simultaneously to increase the purchases of the limited food groups in the rural household diets that may be contributing to the high rates of stunting and wasting.,This study is the first to evaluate the interplay among prices, household income, household production, policies and donor programs, and demographic variables on rural Rwandan household food purchases.

Double Up Food Bucks program effects on SNAP recipients' fruit and vegetable purchases

BackgroundTo encourage the consumption of more fresh fruits and vegetables, the 2014 United Sates Farm Bill allocated funds to the Double Up Food Bucks Program. This program provided Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program beneficiaries who spent

What Social, Program, and Behavioral Factors Influence the Healthy Eating Index for EFNEP and SNAP-Ed Adult Participants?:

10 on fresh fruits and vegetables, in one transaction, with a