Browse Selecting and Buying Stories

Two recently published studies by University of Georgia researchers show that the consumers surveyed believe buying local is a more sustainable option, but they also value the convenience of online shopping and prefer that retailers provide basic information about the environmental impact of local products in the digital marketplace. Driven by increasing consumer interest in buying local and concerns about the impact of agricultural production systems on a changing climate, the studies were based on data from a web-based survey about consumer interest in sustainability, information about food production and online marketing preferences.

Do Nutrition Facts labels provide a complete picture of what "healthy" really means? And does the way information is provided on food labels change consumers' perceptions and purchasing behavior? Chen Zhen, a University of Georgia professor in food choice, obesity and health was awarded $794,000 to lead a four-year international study to better understand how the use of supplementary nutrition information on packaged food labels have unintended consequences across the socioeconomic spectrum.

Economists at the University of Georgia say to brace yourselves for an economic slowdown in the upcoming months. The best consumers can do is deploy cost-saving strategies at the grocery store and build a buffer through increased savings when possible.

Take a gander at the egg case at your local grocery and you are likely to find a variety of labels that go far beyond medium, large, extra-large or jumbo.

Rising prices may induce consumer ire, but some meat-eaters are willing to fork over the cash for high-quality beef. Rising food costs continue to attract negative attention from consumers around the country due to supply chain issues and inflation, but consumer demand for top-quality beef is on pace with a greater supply of higher-quality meat being produced by the beef industry.

Forgo the rush and bare shelves you may find during this year's holiday sales, and consider supporting the endeavors and small businesses of College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences alumni.

With supply chain issues ramping up the stress for consumers, we asked experts in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences how they thought fears about low supplies and consumer behavior might flavor the holidays.

From an early age, we’re told by our parents to make sure we eat our vegetables. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends that people eat five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables per day. However, there’s long been confusion around what is a vegetable versus a fruit. So, when is a vegetable actually a fruit — or a root or a shoot?

Public health experts are imploring Americans to avoid the kind of large gatherings that mark the holidays.

Two interventions created by the University of Georgia Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) team have been added to the national SNAP-Ed Toolkit.