The federal government is currently spending $400,000 to track Latinos’ eye movements at supermarkets in order to better fight obesity, the Washington Free Beacon reports.
Researchers from San Diego State University received more than $400,000 in taxpayer funds to use “eye-tracking technology” to follow the eye movements of Latino families when buying produce, The Washington Free Beacon reported. Researchers believe that they can use this data to help modify the layouts of Latino grocery stores by understanding how overweight consumers make decisions on what produce to buy, as well as encourage people to eat healthier.
The study, titled “Factors Influencing Food Selection,” is targeted at Latino shoppers since they are “disproportionately affected by overweight and obesity” and are “more likely to shop with children,” according to the grant published on the United States Department of Health and Human Services website. The research will continue through 2018.
WalMart announced in July that it is also testing similar facial recognition technology, albeit in their case to better identify consumers that seem unhappy.
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