Supermarket Science: Multipronged Approaches to Increasing Fresh, Frozen and Canned Fruit and Vegetable Purchases

Through research, education and extension, this project will promote fruit and vegetable (F\&V) purchases and consumption by families in under-resourced communities, thus reducing health disparities, improving human nutrition, and preventing unhealthy weight gain among children. Specifically, this project aims to evaluate the success of promoting F\&V purchases among low- income and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)-eligible families and children living in a rural Maine community through a double value coupon, supermarket- based incentive program combined with Cooking Matters at the Store education. Education and extension efforts based on the study findings will contribute to meeting USDA Childhood Obesity Prevention Challenge Area Goals of generating new knowledge; developing, assessing and expanding effective interventions; and increasing the number of skilled and informed professionals and consumers to address the complex problem of childhood obesity. The research team will partner with a large national retail grocery chain (Hannaford Brothers), Cooking Matters, University of Maine Cooperative Extension, eXtension Communities of Practice, Maine SNAP-Ed, and The Food Trust to accomplish the project objectives.