Preferences versus the Environment: How Do School Fruit and Vegetable Programs Affect Children's Fresh Produce Consumption?

Matthias Staudigel, Christoph Lingl, Jutta Roosen

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

We assess the effects of the European Union's School Fruit and Vegetables Scheme (SFVS) on reported consumption frequencies and revealed preferences for fruit and vegetables among schoolchildren. Estimated treatment effects based on double-difference models indicate that the SFVS raised children's fruit and vegetable consumption frequency by 30% to 50%. However, the results from actual choice data show that children exposed to the program had a decreased probability of choosing apple slices over cookies. Our findings suggest that the program increased fruit and vegetable consumption because of increased availability, exposure, and awareness rather than actual preference changes.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)742-763
Number of pages22
JournalApplied Economic Perspectives and Policy
Volume41
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Dec 2019

Keywords

  • Double-difference
  • fruit and vegetables
  • policy evaluation
  • quasi-experiment
  • school fruit and vegetables scheme

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