At the Food Choice & Policy Lab, we study how people make food choices and how those choices impact supply chains, markets, and public policy. Our research sits at the intersection of consumer behavior, food marketing, and policy design to produce evidence that helps improve economic, social, and nutritional outcomes across the food system.
 
We work in close partnership with industry leaders, commodity groups, and government agencies to address real-world challenges facing farmers, food companies, retailers, consumers, policymakers, advocacy organizations, and researchers.
 
Our team develops practical, evidence-based solutions by combining diverse data sources and methodological approaches, including qualitative research like focus groups and individual interviews, large-scale surveys, economic experiments, market and scanner data, and big data.  With this integrated approach, we translate complex consumer and market dynamics into insights that inform decision-making, food innovation, and policy.
 
The Food Choice & Policy Lab is supported by the Homer Nowlin Endowed Chair in Food and Consumer Economics at Michigan State University. Our research activities are also made possible through the generous support of industry partners across the agriculture and food sector and public agencies such as the National Science Foundation and USDA-NIFA. For more details, see our Projects page