SOCIOECONOMIC-FACTORS, NUTRITION, AND FOOD CHOICES - AN ANALYSIS OF THE SALAD DRESSING MARKET

Most studies utilize consumer surveys or experimental data to investig ate the relationship between socioeconomic variables and food choices. The author examines actual purchase behavior (supermarket scanner dat a) in the natural shopping environment. The author focuses on whether the propensity to purchase high-fat unlabeled products within a produc t category varies across supermarkets with different demographic profi les. The results show differences in this propensity across demographi c groups, even after accounting for price and sale promotions. The fin dings are consistent with consumer survey and experimental design rese arch on the relationship between demographic characteristics and the p rocessing of nutrition information.