70% of Food And Beverages At Store Checkouts Are Unhealthy

We've all been there: standing in a store checkout line, surrounded by enticing snacks and drinks. According to researchers at the University of California, Davis, navigating the checkout queue in search of healthy options could be difficult, as 70% of meals and beverages at checkout are harmful (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Food and Beverage Environments at Store Checkouts in California: Mostly Unhealthy Products

Go to source). The share of unhealthy snack-sized selections was much greater — 89%.

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Alarming Dominance of Sugary and Salty Foods at Checkout

According to a study published in the journal Current Developments in Nutrition this month, the majority of food and beverage selections at checkout are candies (31%), sugar-sweetened beverages (11%), salty snacks (9%), and sweets (6%).

Healthy foods were far less common. Water accounted for 3% of food and beverage selections, with nuts and seeds (2%), fruits and vegetables (1%), legumes (0.1%), and milk (0.02%) following.

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Marketing Tactics: Unhealthy Products Dominate Checkout Lanes

According to Jennifer Falbe, associate professor in the Department of Human Ecology and primary author of the study, food and beverage firms view the checkout queue as great real estate for their products. According to her, checkout is the only spot in a store where every client must pass, and it is known to contribute to impulse purchases.

“The checkout lane has been designed this way through marketing agreements in which food and beverage companies pay stores to place their products — which are mostly unhealthy — at checkout,” Falbe said.

The checkout queues in 102 food stores in Davis, Sacramento, Oakland, and Berkeley were studied. Supermarkets, grocery stores, specialty food stores, drugstores, dollar stores, and mass merchandisers were among the stores.

The evaluation was completed in February 2021, just before a city of Berkeley policy requiring large grocery stores to give more healthful options at the checkout went into effect. Berkeley was the first city in the United States to institute a healthy checkout policy.

Berkeley's policy, according to Falbe, is compatible with federal dietary standards that promote eating nutrient-dense foods including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds while limiting sodium and added sugars.

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Unhealthy Checkout Options Outweigh Healthier Alternatives

“The majority of the U.S. population exceeds the daily recommended limits for added-sugar and sodium intake,” Falbe said. “Berkeley’s checkout policy allows certain food and beverage categories at checkout (e.g., unsweetened beverages, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes and dairy) and sets limits on the amount of added sugar and sodium in a product at checkout. Shoppers can still get candy from the candy aisle, but it won’t be forced on them at checkout.”

Berkeley's policy was utilized as a baseline in the study to assist quantify the healthfulness of products at retail checkouts. The percentage of food and beverage alternatives that fulfilled healthy checkout guidelines was highest in chain-specialized food stores, chain supermarkets, and chain mass merchandisers, according to the study. It was lowest in chain dollar stores and independent food stores, which are more prevalent in low-income areas.

Checkout areas can have a significant impact on consumer choices. Falbe expressed optimism that her findings will be used to assist improve the food situation in all neighborhoods.

“There’s an opportunity here for checkouts to offer more choice by expanding access to healthier options,” Falbe said. “Currently, consumers lack choices at the checkout.”

Reference:

1. Food and Beverage Environments at Store Checkouts in California: Mostly Unhealthy Products - (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2475299123212482)

Source-Medindia