Introduction
Restricting the strategic placement and promotion of unhealthy food and drinks in supermarkets presents a promising policy option for obesity prevention. This study aimed to evaluate the extent to which prominent store displays are being used to promote unhealthy products and to examine the types of promotions applied in South Australian supermarkets.
Methods
A cross-sectional audit was conducted sampling supermarkets (n=31) from four major retailers located in areas with differing socioeconomic disadvantage across Greater Adelaide. Photographs of prominent in-store displays were coded using an audit tool that captured product categories (e.g. confectionery, sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs)), display types (e.g. checkouts, island bins, end-of-aisle displays), and promotion types (e.g., temporary price discount, permanent price discount). Results were reported as the average proportion (%) of displays containing unhealthy food/drinks and the average proportion (%) of unhealthy food/drink placements featuring promotions across supermarkets.
Results
On average, 78.7% of all prominent displays contained unhealthy foods or drinks, including 100.0% of checkouts, 98.7% of island bins in checkout areas, and 91.1% of bins at store entry. Confectionery and SSBs were the most featured unhealthy product placements in audited displays (39.6% and 21.6%, respectively). An average of 95.2% of checkouts contained confectionery. Almost all refrigerated pre-checkout displays (94.0%) and refrigerated regular checkout displays (96.0%) contained SSBs. An average of 72.8% of all unhealthy foods and drink placements in prominent store locations had a promotion applied, predominantly price discounts (59.8%). Specifically, promotions were applied to 80.5% of confectionery and 69.6% of SSB placements.
Conclusion
The strategic placement and promotion of unhealthy food and drinks is widespread in South Australian supermarkets. Displays of confectionery and SSBs at store entry and checkouts are ubiquitous. Mandatory restrictions on these placements and promotions may reduce exposure of customers and children to these products, potentially curbing unplanned purchases and consumption.