ArticleNature food2026
Randomized unconditional cash transfers improved diet quantity and quality in a low-income community in Massachusetts, USA.
Article in Nature food, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Growing risks of global wheat from snow droughts.Nature food · 2026Article
- Experimental evidence from the USA shows that recurring unconditional cash transfers improve the diets of low-income individuals.Nature food · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
Abstract
During COVID-19, Chelsea, a city in Massachusetts, USA, implemented an unconditional cash transfer (UCT) programme ('Chelsea Eats') that provided a nine-month benefit of up to US$400 per month to low-income households, allocated via lottery. UCTs are increasingly common, but their dietary impacts in high-income countries are unclear. In a randomized experiment, 905 individuals assigned to receive UCTs and 555 controls completed a 24-h diet recall after 4-6 months. At baseline, 90% identified as Latino/a, and 86% experienced food insecurity. At follow-up, average caloric intake was 1,351 kcal among those in control-far less than the approximately 2,060 kcal recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The intervention led to increased kilocalories (+146 kcal), and increased fruit (+0.17 cup equiv.), vegetable (+0.14 cup equiv.) and unprocessed meat (+0.54 oz.) consumption. These findings suggest that a recurring UCT reduced caloric deficits and improved intake of nutrient-dense foods among this food-insecure population in the United States.
Identifiers
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.