Table 3.

National research agenda questions.

Key Issue Area	Research Question
Understanding the Current Food Retail Environment and Consumer Behavior
Understanding and describing the retail food marketing environment	How does the healthfulness of foods and beverages available in retail outlets differ by retail format?
	How does the healthfulness of foods and beverages promoted in retail outlets differ by retail format?
	What are the effects of manufacturer trade promotion practices on retailer practices?
	How do frequency and duration of retailer promotions differ by: community characteristics (e.g., race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status)? time of month (e.g., when SNAP benefits are issued)? product characteristics (e.g., healthfulness, category)? retail format (e.g., supermarkets vs. convenience stores)? retail ordering platform (e.g., brick-and-mortar vs. online)? geography (e.g., urban vs. rural)?
Understanding consumer shopping behavior	Which factors influence consumer decision-making at the point of purchase?
	Which factors influence where consumers shop (e.g., shopping at a dollar store vs. supermarket)?
Impact of retailer marketing strategies	What are the impacts of retailer marketing strategies on: consumer behaviors (e.g., purchasing, impulse buying, stockpiling)? consumer health (e.g., diet quality, body mass index, overweight/obesity)? outcomes of importance to retailers (e.g., sales, profitability, brand loyalty)?
	How do the impacts of retailer marketing strategies differ by: consumer characteristics (e.g., race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, participation in federal nutrition programs)? time of month (e.g., when SNAP benefits are issued)? product characteristics (e.g., healthfulness, category)? geography (e.g., urban vs. rural)?
Understanding targeted food marketing	To what extent do retailers create targeted promotions based on customer characteristics (e.g., race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, participation in federal nutrition programs)?
	Which food or beverage manufacturers and food categories have deceptive marketing or front-of-package claims?
Role of emerging retail formats in supporting healthy food access	How do dollar stores affect a community’s access to healthful food?
Implementation and Effectiveness of Interventions and Policies to Attain Healthier Retail
Supporting healthy purchases and reducing unhealthy purchases	What is the optimal design of a retail environment to support healthy eating?
	What changes to retailer marketing strategies improve the healthfulness of food purchases?
	What changes to product packaging, labeling, and/or portion size improve the healthfulness of food purchases?
	What are effective digital strategies to improve the healthfulness of food purchases?
Leveraging SNAP to support healthy eating	What is the impact of increasing the SNAP benefit amount?
	What is the impact of changing the frequency and/or timing of SNAP distribution (e.g., benefits issued twice per month or benefits issued on different days of the month)?
	What is the impact of changing the list of products eligible for purchase with SNAP (e.g., sugar-sweetened beverages)?
	What is the impact of offering produce boxes to SNAP beneficiaries?
	What is the impact of providing incentives for healthy foods for SNAP beneficiaries (e.g., discounts or matching dollars for purchases of whole grains, fruits and vegetables)?
Limiting unhealthy food establishments	How do zoning restrictions for unhealthy food retailers impact access to healthy food in the community?
Addressing social determinants of health	How do interventions or policies that address social determinants of health (e.g., universal basic income, increased minimum wage) impact food and beverage purchasing and consumption?
Assessing differential impacts	How do the impacts of interventions and policies differ by: consumer characteristics (e.g., race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, participation in federal nutrition programs)? product characteristics (e.g., healthfulness, category)? retail format (e.g., supermarkets vs. convenience stores)? retail ordering platform (e.g., brick-and-mortar vs. online)? geography (e.g., urban vs. rural)?