Changing the retail food environment

Unofficial AI-generated summary based on the public title and abstract. Not an official translation.

🔬研究者:食品環境介入の実証研究の知見を提供。

🏢実務担当者:小売業界の持続可能性戦略に示唆。

🏛政策担当者:食品政策の効果評価に有用。

Poor diets present one of the most prominent public health challenges in the United Kingdom. Less than 1% of the population is eating a diet reflective of government healthy eating guidance (Scheelbeek et al., 2020), which has profound consequences for both population and planetary health. Dietary risk factors are major contributors to the burden of disease (GBD, 2017) and the food systems which support these diets are responsible for a considerable proportion of greenhouse gas emissions and freshwater use (Crippa et al., 2021; FAO, 2017). Altering the direction of travel requires a considerable shift in the way that food and drink are produced and consumed. At the consumer level, food and drink choices are influenced by a complex system of interdependent variables (Foresight, 2007) and the food retail environment exerts considerable influence on these variables (Vogel et al., 2023). Supermarkets play a crucial role in the lives of many UK shoppers and just eight supermarkets hold 93% of the grocery market share in Great Britain (Kantar WorldPanel, 2023). Historically, work to change diets has focussed on the education of the individual, assuming that decisions and actions are considered and deliberate. It is now recognised that education alone is not sufficient to shift behaviour (Hagger et al., 2020) and that efforts should instead focus on changing behaviour through less conscious processes activated through environments (Marteau et al., 2012). The retail environment provides an ideal setting within which to leverage these processes to encourage a shift towards healthier and more sustainable diets, defined as dietary patterns that contribute to an individual's health and wellbeing as well as have a low environmental impact (FAO, 2012). However, consumer behaviour change at this level is not easy; consumers rarely do what they say they will and what works in theory may not work in practice (Ajzen & Schmidt, 2020). This is why it is essential that changes in the retail environment to drive consumer behaviour change are supported by real-life evidence. Recognising this, IGD, who is working to drive change that makes a tangible difference and delivers social impact in the food and drink industry, has been carrying out behaviour change trials in collaboration with the University of Leeds and multiple food industry partners. To date, findings from five trials across four UK retailers, which used behaviour change levers to shift consumer behaviour towards healthy and sustainable diets have been published on the IGD website (IGD, 2023a). This Virtual Issue on Changing the Retail Food Environment brings together 10 studies to investigate and consider how consumer behaviour can be influenced towards healthier and more sustainable choices across retail settings and product categories (Bunten et al., 2022; Fildes et al., 2022; Jenneson et al., 2020; Jenneson & Morris, 2021; Lonnie et al., 2023; McGrath, 2023a, 2023b; Thomas et al., 2023; Trafford & de la Hunty, 2021; White & Lockyer, 2020). There are already several voluntary and mandatory mechanisms in play within the retail environment which aim to transition consumers towards healthier and more sustainable choices. These include voluntary government reformulation and reduction targets (OHID, 2022a), legislation restricting the placement of products high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) (The Food (Promotion and Placement) (England) Regulations (2021/1368), 2021), the Soft Drinks Industry Levy Regulations (SI 2018/41), 2018) and pressure from both external and internal health targets (Food Foundation, 2020; Trafford & de la Hunty, 2021). Legislation also ensures manufacturers provide transparent nutrition information on pack and are regulated when making claims on the health benefits of food, which may act as an incentive to encourage the development of healthier food by the food industry (Ashwell et al., 2023; EC, 2007, 2011). Since 2006, the UK government's reformulation and reduction programme has aimed to encourage all sectors of the food and drink industry to reduce the amount of sugar, salt and calories in the food and drink that contribute most to intakes (OHID, 2022a). This approach aims to shift the retail environment through the gradual improvement of product nutritional profile without consumer awareness. Progress in each focus area has varied (OHID, 2022b; PHE, 2020a), but the government remains committed to the programme. The SDIL (The Soft Drinks Industry Levy Regulations (SI 2018/41), 2018) was implemented in the United Kingdom in 2018 as a measure to help combat childhood obesity through the reduction of sugar in soft drinks (HM Treasury, 2018). Since implementation, the amount of sugar sold in soft drinks has decreased by 34.3% from 135 391 tonnes in 2015 to 89 019 tonnes in 2020, despite an increase in soft drink sales (OHID, 2022b). The success of this legislation highlights how product development and reformulation to optimise the nutritional profile of products can be a useful tool in supporting the shift to healthier and more sustainable choices with consumers reducing their sugar intake per serving often with no conscious behaviour change. In October 2022, restrictions on the placement of HFSS products came into force within England (The Food (Promotion and Placement) (England) Regulations (2021/1368), 2021), as part of the UK government's 2018 Childhood Obesity Plan (DHSC, 2018). As the first government policy of its kind and scale, the legislation changes the retail environment through the limitation of the types of products which can be placed in prominent areas within supermarkets larger than 2000 square feet. Products which are classified as HFSS by the 2004/2005 Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM) (Department of Health, 2011) are within the scope of the restrictions. While there has been some investigation into how legislation impacted HFSS sales (Ball, 2023), a full assessment of the impact of the legislation on dietary intake and obesity is yet to be published. Prior to implementation, research within this Virtual Issue explored potential challenges of the HFSS legislation and the use of the NPM model to categorise products (Jenneson et al., 2020; Jenneson & Morris, 2021). Concerns raised by food industry nutritionists included the reliance of retailers on manufacturers for accurate product information; how feasible or useful a clear-cut definition of a ‘healthy’ product would be across different categories; and discrepancies between the NPM model and UK dietary recommendations. Since the study, the food industry has implemented restrictions, which have been both challenging and labour intensive. Implementation has cost retailers an estimated £47 million, with additional costs to manufacturers, suppliers and other businesses across the supply chain (DHSC, 2020). With an extension of the policy within the devolved nations imminent or under consideration (Welsh Government, 2023), further research is needed to ensure that the legislation is having the intended impact and continues to be an appropriate use of resources. To contribute to evidence-based policy going forward, the University of Leeds and IGD will be evaluating the impact of this legislation by working with multiple major retailers with results expected at the end of 2024. This research is part of a broader UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Transforming UK Food Systems academic collaboration the Diet and Health Inequalities (DIO Food) project and continues IGD's ongoing programme of real-life behaviour change trials to build evidence on what works, and does not, to shift consumers to healthier and more sustainable diets (IGD, 2022a, 2022b, 2023a; University of Aberdeen, 2023a). Food choices are multifaceted and emotive, and it is unlikely that a single policy intervention or initiative will achieve the UK government's ambition to halve obesity by 2030 (DHSC, 2018). There is a complex, dynamic relationship between industry action, policy and consumer behaviour and all three need to align to build the evidence base and deliver meaningful change. Although there is conflicting evidence on what constitutes a healthy and sustainable diet (BDA, 2018; Willett et al., 2019; WWF, 2023), most agree that UK's national dietary guidelines, the Eatwell Guide (PHE & Welsh Government, 2016), provide a useful direction of travel (Steenson & Buttriss, 2021). As a nation, diets are a long way from meeting this guidance, so action must be taken now to build evidence and effect change, even if the goalposts change in the future (Scheelbeek et al., 2020). Although 66% of shoppers are open to making changes, a survey of 1000 nationally representative British shoppers found that 62% agreed with the statement that their ‘diet isn't as healthy as it could be, but it's healthy enough’ (IGD, 2023b). This suggests that more innovative tactics and interventions requiring less conscious decision-making from consumers are required to promote healthy diets. Recognising this, organisations and collectives across industry and academia are coming together. This includes IGD and projects such as Food Insecurity in people living with Obesity (FIO Food), which are working collaboratively across academia, industry and non-governmental organisations to share learnings and best practices to build evidence on solutions which will support healthier and sustainable food choices (Lonnie et al., 2023; University of Aberdeen, 2023b). By changing the environment within which consumers shop, retailers can help nudge shoppers towards healthier and more sustainable choices. However, there is a well-evidenced gap between what people say or intend to do, and what they actually do, so these approaches must be validated in real-life settings (Hagger et al., 2020; IGD, 2019, 2022a; Rhodes & de Bruijn, 2013). Nudging techniques offer a way to change behaviour with little to no conscious effort from the shopper and are already widely implemented

• openalex https://doi.org/10.1111/nbu.12646first seen 2026-08-02 18:30:32