![[Food Policy Institute]](http://njaes.rutgers.edu/_common/images/subheads/fpi.gif "[Food Policy Institute]"){kind=small}
Research Projects
Research Team: William Hallman, et al
Project Duration: 9/2005 to 8/2008
The goal of this project is to ensure food biosecurity by significantly enhancing the effectiveness of threat prevention, threat response, risk management, risk communication, and public education efforts by creating a multidisciplinary understanding of the health, economic, social and psychological consequences of intentional and unintentional food contamination.
Research Team: William Hallman, Lucas Marxen, Connie Hallman, Kathleen Casey, Denise Hewitt, Anne Bellows, Dan Wartenberg, and Rita Williams
Project Duration: 3/2007 to 3/2008
The goal of this project is to carry out an efficiency, effectiveness and birth outcomes evaluation of the NJ WIC program. The evaluation consists of three parts: 1) An analysis of the location of existing New Jersey local WIC agency sites to evaluate accessibility to service locations relative to eligible WIC participants and the availability and accessibility to supplementary services that contribute to participation and utilization of WIC Services: 2) An analysis of the operation, structure, staffing, caseload, cost/time saving measures, clinic flow, physical design (as related to service delivery), staff functions and practices of all 18 local WIC Agencies, including performing 100 site visits to local WIC clinic sites; 3) An evaluation of the relationship between the provision of WIC services and selected birth outcomes and on Medicaid covered medical care costs associated with deliveries of newborns in New Jersey.
Research Team: Carol Byrd-Bredbenner
Project Duration: 9/2006 to 9/2007
This project will investigate obstacles to adopting safe food handling and consumption behaviors encountered by consumer groups who mishandle food, and will examine the impact and relative demographic characteristics, food safety knowledge and psychosocial factors to food handling and consumption practices. As a result, recommendations for food safety education interventions will be developed to provide undergraduate course instructional materials to assess their impact on student knowledge, attitudes, and intended behaviors. The validity of these recommendations will be tested through a social marketing campaign, implemented and evaluated on 10 college campuses, which will motivate this study’s audience to change their behaviors.
The Nation's Nutrition: It's Time to De-Stress
Research Team: Carol Byrd-Bredbenner
Project Duration: 4/2006 to 8/2007
This project aims to understand nutrition stresses and offer viable solutions. Phase 1 focuses on compiling and distributing information, informing Americans on how they can harness the power of today's food supply to alleviate nutritional stresses and improve health. Phase 2 will allow researchers to collect information on what families are stocking in their pantries, determine caloric and nutrition information, and offer suggestions on a “pantry make-over” to eliminate nutrition stress.
Research Team: Margaret Brennan, Brian Schilling, and Priscilla Hayes
Project Duration: 9/2006 to 7/2007
Evaluating Research on Drought Tolerant Rice in Asia
Research Team: Carl Pray
Project Duration: 3/2006 to 2/2007
Research Team: Anne Bellows
Project Duration: 7/2006 to 12/2006
This project initiates the first steps to examining linkages between mobility, health, and nutrition for 30 New Brunswick, New Jersey Oaxacan-Mexican families and 30 related families in the State of Oaxaca in Mexico. The long term goal of the study is to identify and link health care needs and institutions, research centers, and community organizations in New Brunswick and Oaxaca to maximize the opportunities to meet health needs and provide basic services to a highly mobile population.
Estimating the Impact of the 2005 Increase in State Minimum Wage on NJ Agriculture
Research Team: Brian Schilling, Kevin Sullivan, and Margaret Brennan
Project Duration: 3/2006 to 9/2006
This project examines the extent to which the legislatively mandated increase in the New Jersey minimum wage (from $5.15 to $7.15 per hour, over two years) will impact the hired labor costs of the state’s farmers. The study estimates the industry-level impact of the wage increase and the distribution of hired labor cost increases across sectors and scales of operations.
Consumer Perception and Understanding of Food Biotechnology in the United States
Research Team: William Hallman, et al
Project Duration: 9/2005 to 9/2006
The goal of this project is to develop a multi-disciplinary understanding of the bases for public awareness, perceptions, and acceptance of, food biotechnology in the U.S. A series of national surveys was performed to assess and monitor American consumer knowledge, awareness and perceptions of food biotechnology. The knowledge generated through this program will aid companies and the agricultural community in their understanding of factors driving consumer attitudes toward food biotechnology; inform policy makers of the concerns and needs of consumers; and, help in the design and delivery of appropriate educational and outreach materials.
Research Team: Calum Turvey
Project Duration: 9/2002 to 8/2006
This research will investigate the relationship between weather and risk for NAP and specialty crops in the U.S. and to develop new actuarial insurance models based on rainfall and heat that can be applied to these crops. It also represents the first of its kind to evaluate alternative weather based insurance and derivatives for specialty crops in U.S. agriculture.
Emergency Preparedness and Response Training for Food Retail Store Management
Research Team: Brian Schilling
Project Duration: 4/2005 to 6/2006
This education and training program provides food retail managers with practical information on the importance and process of promoting in-store emergency preparedness. The program is aimed at equipping managers to more effectively prevent, detect, respond and recover from emergency situations in order to protect consumers and associates, minimize loss, and promote business continuity.
Research Team: Carol Byrd-Bredbenner
Project Duration: 7/2005 to 6/2006
This project is a response to the directive promulgated under New Jersey public law 2005, C.026-(A303 ACS 2R) requiring the development of effective outreach and media materials to increase awareness of food allergens. A statewide “Ask Before You Eat, Know Before You Serve” campaign, fact sheets and other media and venue-specific materials were developed for persons with food allergies, as well as parents and care providers of children with food allergies. Materials were also developed for foodservice workers, advising of the importance of being fully informed about menu ingredients, preparation and storage procedures, and cross contamination.
Economic Impact of New Jersey's Food Industries
Research Team: Brian Schilling and Kevin Sullivan
Project Duration: 1/2006 to 6/2006
These studies use IMPLAN analysis to document the direct and indirect contributions of the food system, and its constituent sectors, on New Jersey's economy.
Supporting Agritourism Industry Development in New Jersey
Research Team: Brian Schilling, Lucas Marxen, Helen Heinrich, and Fran Brooks
Project Duration: 4/2005 to 3/2006
This project provides a foundation for State and local efforts to promote agritourism industry development and viability in New Jersey. Specifically, this study examines the current status and nature of agritourism operations in New Jersey, including the types of activities being offered, farmers' perceptions of the impact of agritourism on farm viability (in financial as well as non-pecuniary terms), and key opportunities and challenges that will impact the future agritourism industry growth.
Improving Food Security for New Jersey's Families
Research Team: Brian Schilling, Anne Bellows, Lucas Marxen, Mike Hamm, and Debra P. Keenan
Project Duration: 8/2002 to 9/2005
This project will develop an overall understanding of food sources and human need for food in New Jersey, as well as a fiscally sound linkage strategy. It will identify and quantify, at all steps in the State's food delivery system, wholesome and nutritious food that goes to waste before it can be made available to those in need; identify and quantify, the need for emergency or supplemental feeding for families and individuals in the State; develop a fiscally judicious plan to secure food from loss to deterioration or waste, and transport and apportion that food to emergency feeding programs; develop strategies for behaviorally-focused educational outreach with at-risk families and individuals; and, analyze nutritional sufficiencies and deficiencies in existing emergency food programs, and develop solutions to generating nutritionally complete, culturally acceptable diets.
Assessing Americans' Awareness and Perceptions of the 2003 Mad Cow Case
Research Team: William Hallman, Brian Schilling, and Calum Turvey
Project Duration: 12/2003 to 6/2004
This project assessed public awareness, knowledge, and reaction to the discovery of the first documented U.S. case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy ("mad cow disease") in a Washington dairy cow in December 2003. Findings are based on a survey conducted in January 2004 with a national probability sample of 1,001 adults in the continental United States.
The Political Economy of Local Land Preservation Taxes in New Jersey
Research Team: Brian Schilling, Lucas Marxen, and Benjamin Onyango
Project Duration: 1/2004 to 6/2004
In 1999, the Garden State Preservation Trust was created, establishing a stable statewide funding source for land preservation in New Jersey. To meet matching funds requirements imposed by the state farmland preservation program, many municipalities adopted dedicated taxes for land preservation in recent years. This study develops a political economy framework to investigate factors driving adoption of local taxes to support farmland and open space preservation.
Measuring the Impact of Jersey Fresh Promotion in Farm Returns: Revisited
Research Team: Ramu Govindasamy, Brian Schilling, Kevin Sullivan, Calum Turvey, Logan Brown, and Venkata Puduri
Project Duration: 9/2003 to 4/2004
This study updates the 1994 Jersey Fresh program impact assessment, measuring the economic impact of state promotion on aggregate New Jersey farm cash receipts and tax revenue. The econometric analysis is focused on the returns generated in the fruit and vegetable sectors. IMPLAN analysis is used to estimate the "ripple" effects of Jersey Fresh promotion across the New Jersey economy.
Examining Current Issues in the New Jersey Restaurant Industry
Research Team: Brian Schilling and Catherine Roberts
Project Duration: 7/2002 to 6/2003
This study examines the attitudes and perceptions of restaurant owners and operators in the state of New Jersey. Qualitative in nature, this research convened focus groups of foodservice establishment owners and operators to identify market trends, policy and legislative issues, and other factors affecting foodservice businesses in the state.
Assessing the Status of Mandatory Food Safety Certification in the U.S.
Research Team: Brian Schilling, Jack O'Connor, and Veronica Hendrickson
Project Duration: 7/2002 to 6/2003
This project provides a 50-state review of the status and nature of state-madated food safety certification programs for foodservice establishments, as they existed in 2002.
Partnership for Sustainable Economic Growth in Africa Through Natural Products Development
Research Team: James Simon, Adesoji Adelaja, and Brian Schilling
Project Duration: 11/2000 to 1/2002
The goal of this project is to generate economic growth, income and employment in Ghana, Nigeria, and Cote d’Ivoire through the sustainable science-based production and marketing of high quality and healthful African natural plant products within a properly regulated system. Crop clusters targeted for development include; herbal teas, herbs and spices, essential oils, pressed oils including Shea Butter and Kombo Butter, and medicinals including Artemisia, Moringa and Cryptolepis.
Risk Management in New Jersey Agriculture
Research Team: Ferdaus Hossain, Benjamin Onyango, Richard Van Vranken, and Daniel Kluchinski
The objectives of this project were to understand the nature of risks facing New Jersey farmers and develop risk management initiatives to help farmers pursue higher farming returns.
Examining Innovative Approaches to Farmland Preservation
Research Team: Adesoji Adelaja and Brian Schilling
Food Security, Rights, and Systems
Research Team: Anne Bellows, Mike Hamm, and Karen Brown
The study of food security, systems and rights addresses human security and well-being whereby all community or local residents obtain a safe, culturally acceptable, nutritionally adequate diet through a sustainable food system that maximizes community self-reliance and social justice.
Research Team: Anne Bellows
Measuring the Impact of Jersey Fresh Promotion in Farm Returns
Research Team: Adesoji, Adelaja, Rodolfo Nayga, Jr., and Brian Schilling
This study uses regression analysis to isolate and measure the impact of the New Jersey Department of Agriculture's Jersey Fresh promotional program, established in 1984, on statewide farm revenues. The public return on investment is also estimated vis-à-vis the program's impact on public revenues (tax dollars).
Assessing the Status and Economics of New Jersey's Food Industries
Research Team: Adesoji Adelaja, Rodolfo Nayga, Karen Tank, and Brian Schilling
This series of four studies focused on the status and condition of New Jersey's food manufacturing, food wholesale, food retail, and foodservice industries. Economic trends and key industry issues and challenges are summarized based on focus group sessions with industry leaders. The study culminated with a statewide Food Industry Summit, which convened industry and government leaders for the purpose of defining an agenda for industry economic development.
Enhancing the Market for Nutraceuticals in the Mid-Atlantic Region
Research Team: Adesoji Adelaja, Brian Schilling, and Ramu Govindasamy
