Interests

nutrition policy, food security, consumer behaviour, risk theory, socio-environmental factors influencing food behaviour, fish & omega-3 FA & persistent chemical contaminants

Current Projects

I have a doctoral student who is trying to answer the question, "What are the best indicators of food insecurity and hunger for monitoring at a national level?" She is doing a study of key informants, including interviews with food bank recipients.

Another doctoral student is looking at the question of whether or not Canada needs government policy to limit the advertising of unhealthy foods and beverages to young children. We are examining what gets advertised on TV during children's programming.

A MSc student is just completing a study using an experimental design to answer the question, "Will consumers make healthier choices at fast food restaurants if they are provided with calorie and fat info on the menus?"

Another MSc student is hoping to answer a question that Health Canada has asked: "What is the best way to communicate the risks of mercury in fish?" We are going to be using a sample of Chinese-Canadian women in the GTA, to compare their reactions to a number of slogans and messages used in the US.

Future Directions

I have an incoming MSc student who is interested in using risk theory to examine consumers' attitudes towards organic foods.