Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 13, 2026

Using a Virtual Store As a Research Tool to Investigate Consumer In-store Behavior
Published on: July 24, 2017
The influence of taxes and subsidies on energy purchased in an experimental purchasing study
Leonard H Epstein1, Kelly K Dearing, Lora G Roba
1Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, Farber Hall, 3435 Main St., Buffalo, NY 14214-3000, USA. lhenet@acsu.buffalo.edu
Abstract:
There is limited research on how taxes and subsidies would influence the energy and nutritional quality of food purchases. Using an experimental analogue purchasing task, we examined the effects of increasing the price of high-calorie-for-nutrient foods or reducing the price of low-calorie-for-nutrient foods by 12.5% and 25% on mothers' purchases of 68 common foods and drinks. Taxing less healthy foods with low nutrient density reduced energy (caloric) intake, while reducing the proportion of fat and increasing the proportion of protein purchased. Subsidizing more healthful foods with high nutrient density increased energy intake, without changing the macronutrient profile of foods purchased. These results favor taxes as a way to reduce caloric intake.
Related Concept Videos
What is an Experiment?
Energy Budgets and Reproductive Strategies
Joule-Thomson Effect
This experiment forces high-pressure gas through a throttle valve or a porous plug to a lower-pressure region. The gas expands as it passes through to...
Applications of Integration to Find Consumer Surplus
Observational Studies
There are three types of observational studies – Prospective, retrospective, and cross-sectional.
Prospective Study
Prospective studies, also known as longitudinal or cohort studies, are carried out by collecting future data from groups sharing similar characteristics. One example of...
Study Design in Statistics
Does aspirin reduce the risk of heart attacks? Is one brand of fertilizer more effective at growing roses than another? Is fatigue as dangerous to a driver as the influence of alcohol? Questions like these are answered using randomized experiments with proper...

