About the Center

The Food Marketing Policy Center conducts research on food and agricultural marketing and related policy questions. The general intent is to provide information that can contribute to improved performance of the food production and marketing system. The Policy Center is primarily an economic research organization, yet it conducts interdisciplinary research when appropriate, and it communicates results to the public. Key users include farmer and consumer organizations, agribusiness firms, public agencies, state legislatures, and the U.S. Congress. 

The Centers research agenda includes work in the following areas: 

1. Industrial Organization
2. Strategic Marketing
3. Food Safety Economics
4. Agricultural Cooperatives
5. Public policy related to these subject areas including antitrust and regulatory policies.

From 1986 to 2002, the Center served as the core research group for Regional Research Project NE-165: Private Strategies, Public Policies, and Food System Performance.   As the core research group, the Food Marketing Policy Center facilitated research at cooperating institutions by organizing two day research workshops twice annually, furnishing common data bases, maintaining three research publication series, and providing leadership for joint research efforts including the sponsorship of research conferences. Visit the NE-165 website at http://www.umass.edu/ne165/.