McNair Scholar 2024 - Fredric Esters
Fredric Esters is a senior at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, majoring in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems. His research interests revolve around the food system, human/environmental health, agriculture, and nutrition. He is planning to pursue an MPH in Food Systems, Public Health Nutrition, or Community Health Promotion.
Quote from Fredric Esters
I dream of taking what I’ve learned through my academic career to collaborate with underserved communities to achieve their food system goals, while further investigating systematic failures with the food system that creates these gaps in food accessibility and nutritional access. I also dream of creating a third-party non-profit verification program designed around supporting local growers.
Research project
An Assessment of Online Grocery Shopping Capabilities in Two Micropolitan Communities in Minnesota.
Abstract
Online grocery shopping has the potential to improve food accessibility and increase the opportunities for consumers to make nutritious food choices within their household budget and dietary needs. This study investigates the online grocery shopping capabilities of two micropolitan communities in Minnesota. Worthington, MN and Hutchinson, MN, are the micropolitan communities under investigation. The procedure for collecting data is currently under development. A Qualtrics survey was made to ease data entry. The food items were chosen by Dr. Lisa Harnack based on her expert opinion and using the USDA Thrifty Food Plan as a guide. For the study, an Android Galaxy S23 128GB phone will be used to evaluate nutrition and food budget-related features in the online grocery shopping app. There are 31 stores that we are examining in these micropolitan areas. The stores were selected using the USDA SNAP-approved store locator.
Faculty mentor
Dr. Lisa Harnack is a professor and the Interim Head of the Division of Epidemiology and Community Health. Dr. Harnack earned her DrPH in Public Health Nutrition at the University of California Berkeley. She is also the director of the University of Minnesota Nutrition Coordinating Center. Dr. Harnack’s current work is focused on improving scientific evidence for nutrition programs, policies, and practices.