The impact of such policies has not yet been evaluated. These policies are, without exception, framed in an open-ended manner with no specified end dates. Whilst we are aware of UK supermarket checkout food policies from as early as 1994, most have been made in the last 5 years. In response to consumer concern, campaigns and negative media coverage, some UK supermarkets have voluntarily committed to providing healthier food at their checkouts. Īlongside researcher-led interventions, supermarket-led voluntary pledges and government-led regulation of checkout food have also been proposed. Research in more controlled settings has found that the balance of “healthy” to “less healthy” foods displayed at checkouts influences customers’ behaviour, with healthy foods being more likely to be selected when they were in the majority. These vary substantially in terms of the products that are removed from checkouts, replacement products, and reported effects on purchases. There have also been a number of researcher-led intervention studies in both supermarkets and other environments. Most research has been descriptive, demonstrating large quantities of checkout food which tends to be less healthy. In recent years, the display of unhealthy foods at supermarket checkouts and non-food stores has gained attention from media, advocacy groups and researchers in Australia, the UK, the US, Denmark, Norway, Canada, Sweden and the Netherlands. Around 80% of UK checkout foods were considered unhealthy in 2014–15. Food in checkout areas has been found to lead to impulse purchases and child purchasing requests, which parents find hard to resist. An example of this is food placed in store checkout areas. One commonly encountered food stimulus is the strategic placement of food and non-alcoholic drinks (which we refer to throughout as ‘food’) to encourage unplanned, impulse, purchases. Thus, everyday exposure to energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods contributes to excess energy consumption and obesity. This may require non-voluntary intervention.įood choices are often determined by stimuli from our immediate surroundings. More stores should be encouraged to develop a clear and consistent checkout food policy. Supermarkets with clear and consistent policies adhere well to these. Supermarkets with clear and consistent policies display fewer checkout foods and a lower proportion of these are less healthy than in other supermarkets. Most UK supermarkets have checkout food policies, but not all are clear and consistent. Whilst most supermarkets with a clear and consistent checkout food policy were fully adherent to their policy, those with vague or inconsistent policies were not. Comparable figures for supermarkets with vague or inconsistent, and absent policies were 15 (57%) and 39 (90%) respectively (ps for trend < 0.001). In supermarkets with clear and consistent policies there were a median of 13 products per checkout journey, of which 35% were less healthy. Across the 14 store formats included, two had no checkout food policy, six had ‘clear and consistent’ policies, and six ‘vague or inconsistent’ policies. ResultsĬheckout food policies differed between store formats in some supermarket groups. Checkout food policies were categorised as clear and consistent, vague or inconsistent, or absent. Checkout foods were categorised as less healthy or healthier, using the UK Food Standard’s Agency’s Nutrient Profile Model, and into food groups. Cross-sectional observations in 69 supermarkets (covering 14 store formats) in the East of England in Feb-May 2017 of the number and type of checkout foods on each ‘checkout journey’ (each possible route through the checkout area). The aim of this study was to document the nature of current UK supermarket checkout food policies determine whether there are any differences in the healthfulness and type of food displayed at checkouts in supermarkets according to the presence or nature of policies and determine whether supermarkets are adhering to their checkout food policies. Recently a number of UK supermarkets have voluntarily committed to providing healthier checkout foods. One example of this is food in shop checkout areas. Food choices are often determined by stimuli from our immediate surroundings, including strategic placement in shops to encourage impulse purchases.
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