Decisions That Shape Supply Chains

By Nicole J. Olynk Widmar, Erin Robinson, Michael L. Smith

What drives consumer decisions, and how do those decisions ripple through our food and agricultural systems? In Decisions That Shape Supply Chains, readers are invited to look beyond conventional models of behavior and explore the complex, sometimes counterintuitive factors influencing real-world consumer choices. Drawing on behavioral science and applied research, this volume examines how decisions made in grocery aisles, drive-through lines, and online shopping carts ultimately inform what gets planted, processed, packaged, and promoted across the food-supply chain. From attitudes toward GMO foods to parenting as a form of consumerism and emotional decision-making under stress to the environmental tradeoffs consumers weigh (or ignore), the topics covered in this book challenge assumptions and reframe the conversation about who holds influence in the marketplace. For agribusiness professionals, researchers, and policymakers, these insights offer better ways to connect with the people at the end of every supply chain: the consumers themselves.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1626712301
• ISBN13: 9781626712300
• Release Date: December 2025
• Publisher: Purdue University Press
• Length: 73 Pages