Using Scanner Data for Food Economics Research

Household-based and store-based scanner data have opened up possibilities for conducting a broad range of analyses to address food policy research questions. Scanner data are relevant for analyzing research questions on topics such as food prices, taxes, and subsidies; food access; nutrition and health claims; promotions and advertising; and market competition. Household-based data are collected from a panel of households that record all of their food purchases from retail stores and provide demographic information and household characteristics. In contrast, store-based scanner data, which are often referred to as point-of-sale data, are collected directly from retail stores. Both types of data are available at a high frequency and at the detailed barcode level thus enabling analyses that are not possible using other data sources. The data can also be linked to detailed label information including nutrient content and health claims.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service (ERS) has invested substantial resources into acquiring scanner data (most recently from IRI), creating data products from the data, and conducting policy-relevant research using the data. This workshop will provide an overview of store and household scanner data, introduce researchers to new data products available from ERS that can enhance analyses, provide an opportunity to learn about ongoing research studies using scanner data, and allow for discussion on how new research questions can be addressed using these data. The workshop will also provide an overview of possible funding sources to pursue research projects using scanner data. 

Who should attend?

• Individuals in academia, government, and industry interested in conducting research using household-based or store-based scanner data for food economics and policy studies.
• Current scanner data users who are interested in learning about newly available data resources and about other research projects using scanner data for food economics studies.
• New scanner data users who are interested in an introduction to scanner data and would like to learn more about what data are available and how they can be used.
• Researchers interested in learning about how to access scanner data, how others are using the data, and new value-added products, such as store weights or nutrition data linking. 
• Researchers seeking collaborations and funding sources for research studies using scanner data.