Structural monitoring of the Dutch food environment is needed
Few food products and food promotions in supermarkets and food service outlets align with the National Dietary Guidelines. Structural monitoring of the food environment is needed.
These are the two main conclusions of the study ‘Monitoring the healthiness of the food availability and food promotions in supermarkets and food service outlets’. This study, commissioned by the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, is conducted by researchers from Wageningen University & Research, VU Amsterdam, and Utrecht University in the Netherlands. Monitoring is necessary for tracking the implementation of policies and self-regulation of supermarkets food service outlets that aim to create healthier food environments.
Results of the study and how to proceed
The aims of this study were twofold. First, the researchers mapped out how convenient the healthy choice was by assessing the healthiness of the availability and promotions of foods in supermarkets and food service outlets (a so-called "photo of the market"). They also investigated the extent to which the food availability and food promotions align with the National Dietary Guidelines in the Netherlands.
Monitoring is intended to evaluate whether current and future policies contribute to create a healthy food environment.
Maartje Poelman, assistant professor Consumption and Healthy Lifestyles
Second, the researchers investigated how to implement a monitoring programme for the Netherlands to map out the food availability and food promotions in supermarkets and food service outlets. In order to do so, they conducted interviews with experts and stakeholders, including scientists, monitoring experts and professionals from supermarkets, food service outlets, and trade associations.
The results of this study will support the national government in evaluating its policies for improving food environments. To date, no such evaluation has been initiated by the government, although plans to make the healthy choice the easy choice have been proposed in the National Prevention Agreement.
Supermarkets: 80% of the food products and food promotions do not align with the National Dietary Guidelines
The “photo of the market” that the researchers took of supermarkets and food service outlets shows that the food availability and food promotions for both sectors primarily consist of products that do not contribute to a healthy diet.
Roughly 80% of the assortment, price promotions, and in-store promotions of supermarkets did not align with the national dietary guidelines. The top five most available food products in supermarkets were non-alcoholic beverages, alcohol, sweets, biscuits, meat, and poultry, and together they made up 36% of the entire assortment.
The top five most available food product groups with the highest share of products that align with the National dietary guidelines were eggs, legumes, fish, fruit, and vegetables. However, together they only comprised 13% of the entire assortment.
Non-alcoholic drinks, sweets and confections, alcoholic beverages, dairy, and ready-to-eat meals were the most featured promotions in supermarket sales flyers. Sweets and confections, alcoholic beverages, non-alcoholic beverages, baked goods, and savoury snacks were most often available at end-of-aisle shelves and impulse displays. Of the nine products groups that were investigated, marketing towards children was predominantly observed for foods not contributing to a healthy diet.