Supermarket policies on less-healthy food at checkouts: Natural experimental evaluation using interrupted time series analyses of purchases

Katrine T Ejlerskov, Stephen J Sharp, Martine Stead, Ashley J Adamson, Martin White and Jean Adams

PLOS Medicine, 2018, vol. 15, issue 12, 1-20

Abstract: Background: In response to public concerns and campaigns, some United Kingdom supermarkets have implemented policies to reduce less-healthy food at checkouts. We explored the effects of these policies on purchases of less-healthy foods commonly displayed at checkouts. Methods and findings: We used a natural experimental design and two data sources providing complementary and unique information. We analysed data on purchases of small packages of common, less-healthy, checkout foods (sugary confectionary, chocolate, and potato crisps) from 2013 to 2017 from nine UK supermarkets (Aldi, Asda, Co-op, Lidl, M&S, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, and Waitrose). Six supermarkets implemented a checkout food policy between 2013 and 2017 and were considered intervention stores; the remainder were comparators. Conclusions: There is a potential impact of checkout food polices on purchases. Voluntary supermarket-led activities may have public health benefits. Jean Adams and colleagues describe the effects of UK supermarket healthy eating food policies on food purchases both for home and on the go.Why was this study done?: What did the researchers do and find?: What do these findings mean?:

Date: 2018
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:plo:pmed00:1002712

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1002712

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