A Longitudinal, Randomized-Controlled Experiment of Healthy Food Policies in Online Retail Settings

What this Trial Is About

Unhealthy diets contribute significantly to preventable chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and stroke, especially affecting racial/ethnic minorities and those with lower income. This research aims to understand how a combination of healthy food policies targeting ultra-processed foods in online retail settings can improve nutrition and reduce diet-related diseases. Participants will use an innovative online grocery store and restaurant platform, randomly assigned to either a control group with no interventions or an intervention group where a suite of healthy food policies is applied. These policies include taxes on ultra-processed foods and beverages, front-of-pack nutrition warning labels, and healthy checkout regulations limiting promotion of unhealthy items. The study lasts six weeks, starting with a baseline week without interventions, followed by three weeks with the policies applied, then two weeks introducing unhealthy food marketing to mimic industry responses. Participants will shop once weekly on the platforms, receiving purchased foods via delivery. They will complete surveys at baseline and after six weeks, plus four dietary recalls over the phone during baseline and intervention periods. Researchers will measure changes in calories purchased from unhealthy foods, dietary quality, and the impact of unhealthy food marketing on policy effects. The study includes monitoring food purchases, nutrient intake, perceptions of products and policies, and participant opinions over the full six-week period.

Click & Pick Study