Determinants of Food Consumption Choices: Experimental Evidence from St. Kitts
In this
paper, we use economics experiment laboratory intruments to measure time, risk and
ambiguity preferences, which we correlate with food choice factors (items that
influence food choice) and actual food consumption measures. We find that
present bias, and to a lesser extent risk preferences, are significantly
correlated with the food choice factors of health, natural content, and weight
control. We find these correlations to be less consistent with actual reported
food chocies. This finding indicates a discrepancy between what individuals
ideally would like to eat and what they actually consume. This finding suggests
scope for intervention to bring the two into alignment.
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