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CALL FOR PAPERS FOOD MARKETING TRACK, 2019 MACROMARKETING CONFERENCE, JUNE 26th-29th 2019, CLEVELAND, OHIO, USA

TRACK CHAIRS:

Claudia Dumitrescu, PhD (primary contact person)
Assistant Professor of Marketing
Department of Management & Marketing
College of Business
Central Washington University
2400 S 240th Street P.O. Box 13490 Des Moines, WA 98198
Phone: 509-963-3832 E-mail: Claudia.Dumitrescu@cwu.edu

Renée Shaw Hughner, PhD
Associate Professor of Marketing Morrison School of Agribusiness
W. P. Carey School of Business Arizona State University 7001 East Williams Field Road Mesa, AZ 85212 Phone: 480-727-1570 E-mail: renee.shaw@asu.edu

IMPORTANT DATES:

Submission Deadline: JANUARY 31st, 2019
Notification of Reviewer Decisions: MARCH 15th, 2019
Deadline for Revised Papers: MAY 1st, 2019
Conference: JUNE 26-29, 2019

Food Marketing Track Description:

The newest Report on the State of Obesity in the United States of America is particularly surprising and disturbing, if we consider the numerous initiatives, to combat a major global issue such as obesity, taken by policy makers, food industry, and academia. It appears that the highest rates of obesity in the U.S., ever documented by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, were recorded as recently as 2015-2016 (Hales et al., 2017). More alarming is the fact that obesity is currently a growing global public health crisis (The GBD 2017 Obesity Collaborators, 2017). Almost 30% of the world’s population is either obese or overweight and this global public health issue is present in developed as well as developing countries (Ng. et al., 2014).

As ‘tired’ as we – consumers, food marketers, policy makers, (macro) marketing researchers – may be, of examining, and attempting to come up with solutions to combat, obesity, this epidemic is still increasing and its health and economic costs are not negligible. Consequently, addressing the obesity crisis, from multiple angles, remains imperative for ensuring the health of the global population.

– Changes in the food environment and global food systems are major drivers of obesity, as there is “more processed, affordable, and effectively marketed food” (Swinburn et al., 2011, p. 804). Thus, how do we create a healthier, more sustainable global food system?

– In the U.S., low prices of energy-dense foods and exacerbated marketing of such products (Swinburn et al., 2011), the availability of fast-food restaurants, as opposed to grocery stores, in certain low-income, rural areas and communities of color (Kwate et al., 2009; Bower et al., 2014), the intense advertising of poor-nutritional foods to certain populations (e.g., African American and Latino youth) (Harris et al., 2015) are all major factors that continue to contribute to obesity. “Sustained, meaningful reductions in obesity have not been achieved nationally;” unfortunately, differences in obesity rates – from ethnic, geographic, and racial perspectives – still exist (Warren, Beck, and Rayburn, 2018, p.8).

– Americans’ confusion about nutrition may also explain the ongoing problem of obesity; some of the findings of the International Food Information Council Foundation’s 12th Annual Food and Health Survey indicate that Americans “are consuming food information from more sources than ever before;” nevertheless, their nutritional knowledge is “sorely lacking”, which negatively affects their health (International Food Information Council Foundation, 2017, p.1). Therefore, to what extent do/did the nutritional information on the menus, the GMO vs Non-GMO movement/labels, the organic vs. conventional product trend, and the gluten-free/added sugars and artificial sweeteners/whole grain/fiber labeling overwhelm OR educate consumers and consequently, become detrimental OR beneficial to consumers’ food buying and consumption behavior? The aforementioned discussion and questions are not meant to narrow the scope of our Food Marketing Track; instead, they set up the stage for new discussion/views, from various angles (e.g., global food systems, consumer behavior, public policy, food marketing, etc.), regarding an old, yet pressing problem – i.e., obesity. We invite scholars to submit competitive papers (theoretical or empirical), extended abstracts, and/or special session proposals, which may relate to this discussion/these questions OR generally, identify and address the gaps in (macro) marketing research, public policy, marketing practices, and consumer behavior, in the context of obesity or obesity-related health issues around the world.

References:

Bower, K. M., Thorpe Jr, R. J., Rohde, C., & Gaskin, D. J. (2014). The intersection of neighborhood racial segregation, poverty, and urbanicity and its impact on food store availability in the United States. Preventive Medicine, 58(1), 33-39.

Hales, C. M., Carroll, M. D., Fryar, C. D., & Ogden, C. L. (2017). Prevalence of obesity among adults and youth: United States, 2015-2016. US Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics.

Harris, J. L., Shehan, C., Gross, R., Kumanyika, S., Lassiter, V., Ramirez, A. G., & Gallion, K. (2015). Food advertising targeted to Hispanic and Black youth: Contributing to health disparities. Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity.

International Food Information Council Foundation. (2017). Survey: Nutrition Information ÂÜÀòÉç¹ÙÍønds, But Many Doubt Food Choices. IFIC Foundation 12th Annual Food and Health Survey

Kwate, N. O. A., Yau, C. Y., Loh, J. M., & Williams, D. (2009). Inequality in obesigenic environments: fast food density in New York City. Health & Place, 15(1), 364-373. Ng, M., Fleming, T., Robinson, M., Thomson, B., Graetz, N., Margono, C., … & Abraham, J. P. (2014). Global, regional, and national prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adults during 1980–2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013. The Lancet, 384(9945), 766-781.

Swinburn, B. A., Sacks, G., Hall, K. D., McPherson, K., Finegood, D. T., Moodie, M. L., & Gortmaker, S. L. (2011). The global obesity pandemic: shaped by global drivers and local environments. The Lancet, 378(9793), 804-814.

The GBD 2017 Obesity Collaborators (2017). Health Effects of Overweight and Obesity in 195 Countries over 25 Years. The New England Journal of Medicine, 377(1), 13-27. Waren, M., Beck, S., & Rayburn, J. (2018). The State of Obesity: Better Policies for a Healthier America 2018. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

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