David Palma and colleagues. Have a new article published in the Food Policy Journal: Taxing fat versus behavioural interventions: Multiple discrete–continuous extreme value (MDCEV) models and the PCSHOP randomized trial of shopping behaviour

Taxing fat versus behavioural interventions: Multiple discrete–continuous extreme value (MDCEV) models and the PCSHOP randomized trial of shopping behaviour.

David Palma and colleagues. Have a new article published in the Food Policy Journal: Taxing fat versus behavioural interventions: Multiple discrete–continuous extreme value (MDCEV) models and the PCSHOP randomized trial of shopping behaviour

Abstract
Understanding consumers’ food purchasing behaviours is complex because it involves choices on both what to buy and how much of it. Using the Multiple Discrete-Continuous Extreme Value (MDCEV) model, we study both aspects of behaviour, on real-world food shopping data from a clinical trial. Using simulation, we compared the impact of (i) providing general dietary advice, (ii) providing general dietary advice plus personalised shopping advice, (iii) taxation, and (iv) combinations thereof, on the amount of saturated fat in consumers’ shopping baskets. We used supermarket loyalty card data from a randomised controlled trial of 111 adults with raised cholesterol in Oxfordshire, UK. Results reveal that a Danish-style fat tax alone is less effective than the tax in combination with dietary and shopping advice. These data illustrate the potential of MDCEV models to study food-purchasing behaviour and, by extension, informing food policies.

Reference: John Buckell, David Palma, Stephane Hess, Susan A. Jebb & Carmen Piernas (2025). Food Policy Journal: Taxing fat versus behavioural interventions: Multiple discrete–continuous extreme value (MDCEV) models and the PCSHOP randomized trial of shopping behaviour

See the link for the full article – Taxing fat versus behavioural interventions: Multiple discrete–continuous extreme value (MDCEV) models and the PCSHOP randomized trial of shopping behaviour - ScienceDirect