** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** IN AN EMAIL FROM CHARLOTTE TUTTLE, JANUARY 12, 2023, 10:10 AM EST:HI JACKIE,THE BELOW BULLETS JUST EXPLAIN THAT IF DR. CAPUTO PUBLISHES PAPERS RELATED TO THIS AWARD, SHE SHOULD ACKNOWLEDGE NIFA USING THE TEXT GIVEN BELOW. ALSO, THERE MAY BE A PD MEETING WHERE FOLKS WHO HAVE RECEIVED FUNDING PRESENT THEIR CURRENT WORK. AND EXPECTATION OF RECEIVING THE AWARD IS THAT PDS PARTICIPATE IN THESE. BUT THERE IS NOTHING DR. CAPUTO HAS TO DO AT THE TIME FOR THIS.LET ME KNOW IF YOU NEED MORE CLARIFICATION.ORIGINAL SUMMARY BELOW***************************************************************************************************************************IN 2021, OVER HALF (53%) OF ALL U.S. FOOD EXPENDITURES WERE PURCHASES OF FOOD PREPARED AWAY FROM HOME (FAFH) (USDA ERS, 2022). YET, MUCH OF THE EXISTING LITERATURE ON FOOD DEMAND AND NUTRITION FOCUSES ON FOOD PREPARED AT HOME (FAH). PARTIALLY MOTIVATED BY THE ABSENCE OF TIMELY SECONDARY DATA, THERE IS AN URGENT NEED TO UNDERSTAND FAFH CONSUMPTION PATTERNS AND ENCOURAGE HEALTHIER FOOD CHOICES. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE IN ONLINE SETTINGS, WHERE DIGITAL FOOD ENVIRONMENTS AND MEAL DELIVERY SERVICES HAVE ACCELERATED FAFH PURCHASING.THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC RESULTED IN THE INCREASED USE OF, AND RELIANCE ON, ONLINE FOOD ENVIRONMENTS (HOBBS, 2020). WHILE ONLY 24% OF CONSUMERS USED ONLINE SERVICES TO ORDER FOOD FROM RESTAURANTS IN 2019, 41% USED IT IN 2020 (EDMONDSON ET AL., 2021). ONLINE MEAL ORDERS ARE EXPECTED TO GROW, AS DEMONSTRATED BY THE EXPLOSION OF ONLINE U.S. FOOD DELIVERY PLATFORMS NOW VALUED AT $63 BILLION (STATISTA, 2022). THE FOOD ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH WE MAKE CHOICES IMPACTS CONSUMPTION HABITS AND PUBLIC HEALTH OUTCOMES (WHO, 2015), AS RESEARCH SHOWS THAT EATING BEHAVIOR, SATISFACTION, AND SATIETY CHANGE BASED ON THE EATING LOCATION (HENDRICKS ET AL., 2021). INDEED, FREQUENT MEALS AWAY FROM HOME HAVE BEEN LINKED TO REDUCED DIET QUALITY (BINKLEY AND LIU, 2019), INCREASED CALORIC INTAKE (USDA ERS, 2010), AND OBESITY (ALTMAN ET AL., 2015), AMONG OTHER CHRONIC HEALTH CONDITIONS. IT IS UNLIKELY THAT THE TREND TOWARDS FAFH WILL REVERSE, CREATING AN URGENT NEED TO UNDERSTAND CONSUMER DECISION-MAKING PROCESSES IN ONLINE FAFH ENVIRONMENTS AND DEVELOP STRATEGIES TO EMPOWER AND ENCOURAGE CONSUMERS TO MAKE HEALTHIER FAFH CHOICES (THE WHITE HOUSE, 2022).THIS NEED CALLS FOR NOVEL RESEARCH EVALUATING WHICH MARKET INCENTIVES AND POLICY INTERVENTIONS COULD PROMOTE HEALTHIER EATING HABITS IN ONLINE SETTINGS. WHILE THERE ARE INTERVENTIONS AND FOOD POLICIES THAT CAN NUDGE PURCHASING AND CONSUMPTION BEHAVIOR IN PHYSICAL FOOD ENVIRONMENTS, THESE CONVENTIONAL METHODS MAY NOT TRANSLATE ONE-TO-ONE TO DIGITAL SETTINGS. MOST NOTABLY, THERE IS POTENTIAL TO INCORPORATE BEHAVIORAL CHANGE TECHNIQUES INTO THE DIGITAL FOOD ENVIRONMENTS, STEERING CONSUMERS TOWARD HEALTHIER MEAL OPTIONS WITHOUT REMOVING FREEDOM OF CHOICE (STEPHENS ET AL., 2020). INDEED, ONLINE FOOD ENVIRONMENTS CAN MAKE MARKET INTERVENTIONS AND FOOD POLICIES MORE SALIENT FOR CONSUM,ERS.THIS PROPOSED RESEARCH PROJECT FILLS THESE GAPS IN THE LITERATURE BY INTRODUCING MEAL CLICKS, A SURVEY THAT TRACKS CONSUMER PREFERENCES AND DEMAND FOR FAFH ORDERED IN DIGITAL ENVIRONMENTS OVER TIME, WHILE ALSO EXPLORING THE HEALTHINESS OF CONSUMER FOOD CHOICES. FAFH DEMAND FLUCTUATES DUE TO MANY FACTORS, INCLUDING GENERATIONAL CHANGE, POLICY SHIFTS, FOOD SAFETY ISSUES, AND PRICE CHANGES. MEAL CLICKS WILL CAPTURE SUCH VARIATION IN A REALISTIC AND TIMELY MANNER, INFORMING PRODUCERS AND AGRIBUSINESSES ABOUT CURRENT AND EMERGING CONSUMER TRENDS. ALONG WITH TRACKING PURCHASING HABITS AND DEMOGRAPHICS, MEAL CLICKS WILL ALSO DETERMINE THE EFFECTS OF POLICY AND DIGITAL INTERVENTIONS THAT FACILITATE CHANGE IN ONLINE FAFH DEMAND. IN DOING SO, MEAL CLICKS WILL PROVIDE POLICYMAKERS AND THE FOOD INDUSTRY WITH CRITICAL INFORMATION ON EFFECTIVE INTERVENTIONS THAT PROMOTE HEALTHIER MEAL CHOICE IN FAFH ENVIRONMENTS.