The growth of Marketing as a field of study in the early Twentieth Century is linked with the growth in output of agriculture serving rapidly industrialized urban centers. Early marketing textbooks and journal research gave significant attention to food, food production, farm equipment, and packaged goods. Although the discipline has expanded beyond this early focus, exploration of food distribution, food well-being, and related marketing phenomena continue to evolve.
This special publishers collection offers a series of articles (listed alphabetically by title) from AMA journals that expand research boundaries and enhance managerial strategies.
“From Nutrients to Nurturance: A Conceptual Introduction to Food Well-Being”
The authors propose the concept of food well-being (FWB) and explain the five primary domains of FWB: food socialization, food literacy, food marketing, food availability, and food policy.
Journal of Public Policy & Marketing (2011)
“Healthy Through Presence or Absence, Nature or Science?: A Framework for Understanding Front-of-Package Food Claims”
The authors find that front-of-package claims are uncorrelated to nutrition quality yet influences inferences consumers make about taste, healthiness, and dieting.
Journal of Public Policy & Marketing (2019)
“How and Why the Collaborative Consumption of Food Leads to Overpurchasing, Overconsumption, and Waste”
This research asks if food-based collaborative consumption (such as potlucks, family-style dining, or shared small plate menus) is a cause of overpurchasing, overconsuming, and wasting food.
Journal of Public Policy & Marketing (2019)
“Hunger and Food Well-Being: Advancing Research and Practice”
This article illuminates paths, informed both by scholarly research and practical Hunger Task Force programs, that not only ameliorate hunger but also advance food and well being.
Journal of Public Policy & Marketing (2019)
“Kids, Caregivers, and Cartoons: The Impact of Licensed Characters on Food Choices and Consumption”
This research examines effects of on-package licensed characters on children’s and caregivers’ choices of healthy and indulgent food and children’s consumption amount.
Journal of Public Policy & Marketing (2019)
“Same but Different: Using Anthropomorphism in the Battle Against Food Waste”
One solution to consumer aversion towards ugly produce is displaying it with a smiling face and presenting shape abnormalities as body parts which triggers positive affective reactions.
Journal of Public Policy & Marketing (2019)
“Technology Resistance: The Case of Food Production Processes”
This article examines consumers’ scientific understanding of food technology like food irradiation or genetic modification that have immense implications for consumer and societal well-being.
Journal of Public Policy & Marketing (2019)
“The Self-Perception Connection: Why Consumers Devalue Unattractive Produce”
The world is full of lumpy, misshapen, or discolored potatoes, carrots, apples, and berries. The taste and health benefits match more attractive produce, so why won’t consumers buy ugly fruits and vegetables?
Journal of Marketing (2019)
“The Squander Sequence: Understanding Food Waste at Each Stage of the Consumer Decision-Making Process”
Worldwide 1/9 are undernourished, yet most American households waste over $1,500 of usable food each year. The authors explore this squander sequence and food waste.
Journal of Public Policy & Marketing (2016)
“To Buy or Not to Buy: Consumers’ Demand Response Patterns for Healthy versus Unhealthy Food”
Consumers react differently to price changes for healthy versus unhealthy food. For healthy food, demand sensitivity is greater for a price increase than for a price decrease. For unhealthy food, the opposite holds true.
Journal of Marketing (2013)
“Understanding the Calorie Labeling Paradox in Chain Restaurants: Why Menu Calorie Labeling Alone May Not Affect Average Calories Ordered”
Menu calorie labeling is now required nationwide for chain restaurants in the United States; however, a number of studies have found that calorie labeling does not reduce average calories ordered.
Journal of Public Policy & Marketing (2019)
“What a Waste! Exploring the Human Reality of Food Waste from the Store Manager’s Perspective”
Research reveals the questionable ethics of discarding food; the societal, regulatory, and systemic constraints leading to the occurrence of food waste in stores; and the resulting moral burden on store managers.
Journal of Public Policy & Marketing (2016)
“What Influences Consumer Evaluation of Genetically Modified Foods?”
This article shows how consumers respond differently to persuasive messages regarding GM foods on the basis of their preexisting attitudes.
Journal of Public Policy & Marketing (2019)