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Social Meaning in Supermarkets as a Direct Route to Improve Parents' Fruit and Vegetable Purchases

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 September 2016

Collin R. Payne  and
Mihai Niculescu
Collin R. Payne
Affiliation:
Marketing at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico
Mihai Niculescu
Affiliation:
Marketing at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico
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Abstract

Direct and indirect attempts to increase parents' fruit and vegetable purchases have had little, if any, success. Most of the disappointing results are reported in the grocery environment. In this context, embedding messages with social meaning may have a significant impact on current campaigns. We use the focus theory of normative conduct as an alternative theoretical framework and suggest that social norms that are salient, easy to interpret, and easy to compare against individuals' behavior may improve current attempts to increase parents' fruit and vegetable purchases in retail environments.

Keywords

supermarketsocial normsintervention toolschildhood obesityfruits and vegetablesbehavioral economics
Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Agricultural and Resource Economics Review , Volume 41 , Issue 1 , April 2012 , pp. 124 - 137
Copyright
Copyright © 2012 Northeastern Agricultural and Resource Economics Association 

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