Grocery Store Closures and Household Nutritional Choices

29 Pages Posted: 4 Aug 2022

See all articles by Sylvia Hristakeva

Sylvia Hristakeva

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) - Anderson School of Management

Julia Levine

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) - Anderson School of Management

Date Written: June 2, 2022

Abstract

We analyze the impact of a temporary shock to food supply on households’ dietary choices. We use hurricane-induced closures of grocery stores, focusing on temporary closures. Results show that store closures influence households’ purchasing patterns even after the grocery store has reopened. We find a decrease in the nutritional value of purchase baskets of treated households for the nine-month period after the store has reopened, despite no change in total expenditures. Our findings support the hypothesis that supply factors play a substantive role in shaping household diets.

Keywords: Store Choice, Dietary Choice, Food Accessibility, Health

JEL Classification: D12, I12, I14, L81

Suggested Citation

Hristakeva, Sylvia and Levine, Julia, Grocery Store Closures and Household Nutritional Choices (June 2, 2022). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4166255 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4166255

Sylvia Hristakeva (Contact Author)

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) - Anderson School of Management ( email )

110 Westwood Plaza
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1481
United States

Julia Levine

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) - Anderson School of Management ( email )

110 Westwood Plaza
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1481
United States

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