CSA shareholder food lifestyle behaviors: a comparison across consumer groups

Impacts of a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Voucher Program on Food Lifestyle Behaviors: Evidence from an Employer-Sponsored Pilot Program

“…This has an interesting application to food and health lifestyle choices that are highly desired by employers. As CSA farms typically require pre-payment and have a unique, repetitive delivery structure, they potentially induce employee behavior modification in a unique and positive way [8]. Together, this literature suggests that CSA participation may encourage behavioral change relating to food procurement, preparation, and consumption.…”

“…All surveys were administered through SurveyMonkey, an online survey development tool. In particular, the key variables came from a review of the health outcomes of CSA literature [4][5][6][7][8][9][10]-especially those summarized in Vasquez et al [3]. In a review of this literature (as discussed in Section 1), researchers were interested in behavior changes within the following four categories: (1) fruit and vegetable versus processed food consumption; (2) food prepared at home versus away from home; (3) food purchasing behavior and interest in nutrition; and (4) self-reported health outcomes.…”

“…An emerging body of literature, adeptly summarized by Vasquez et al [3], considers how CSAs may provide opportunities for diet modification, health improvement, and behavior change [4][5][6][7][8][9][10]. When considered in contexts where participation is incentivized or part of a workplace wellness program, CSA's potential for transformation reaches into promising new social spheres.…”

“…This emerging research on CSAs and health is important to agricultural sustainability for a few reasons. First, it provides evidence that the structure of certain economic exchanges can affect the experiential, biophysical, and behavioral relationships between consumers and their food [1,6,8]. Second, by enumerating potential consumer benefits, researchers provide actionable data for producers and local food advocates to market CSAs and other forms of DTC food exchanges.…”

“…As increased vegetable consumption is associated with decreased risk of cardiac disease, cancer, stroke, and other chronic diseases [18][19][20], the potential health impacts of employer CSA programs are compelling. Additionally, CSA participation is linked to broader behavior changes in how shareholders relate to their own health and consumption patterns [8]. While other researchers have explored various employee subsidy formats including a post-share purchase rebate, such as the FairShare program in Wisconsin [21], few have examined how CSA subsidy programs impact health related behaviors.…”