Abstract

Background: Financial incentives may improve diet quality and reduce food insecurity, but how incentives align with population preferences for delivery (mode, structure) and shopping habits (frequency, spending) remains unclear.

Methods: A July 2022 cross-sectional survey of 1,601 Canadian adults (excluding Quebec) examined incentive preferences, shopping frequency and healthy food spending shortfalls using Poisson and generalized linear models.

Results: Weekly instant loyalty card discounts were most preferred. The median spending gap was $12.50 (mean $21.48), with food-insecure participants reporting the largest gaps.

Conclusion: Aligning incentive design with population preferences and shopping habits may enhance uptake. Higher-value incentives may be needed to more fully engage food-insecure populations