The proportion of unhealthy foodstuffs children are exposed to at the checkout of convenience supermarkets.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the proportion of foods that are unhealthy to which children are exposed at the checkout of convenience supermarkets.


METHODS
We performed a cross-sectional survey of foodstuffs displayed at the checkout. Products displayed at or below children's eye-level were designated as healthy, unhealthy or unclassifiable using the Food Standards Agency's scoring criteria.


METHODS
Thirteen convenience supermarkets from the three leading UK supermarket chains were selected on the basis of proximity to the town hall in Sheffield, England.


METHODS
Convenience supermarkets were defined as branches of supermarket chains that were identified as being other than superstores on their company's store locator website.


RESULTS
In almost all of the convenience supermarkets surveyed, the main healthy product on display was sugar-free chewing gum. On average, when chewing gum was not included as a foodstuff, 89% of the products on display at the checkouts of convenience supermarkets were unhealthy using the Food Standards Agency's criteria. One store was a notable outlier, providing only fruit and nuts at its checkout.


CONCLUSIONS
The overwhelming majority of products to which children are exposed at the convenience supermarket checkout are unhealthy. This is despite all the supermarket chains surveyed having signed up to the UK Government's 'responsibility deal'.
1School of Health and Related Research,University of Sheffield,Regent Court,30 Regent Street,Sheffield S1 4DA,UK.
Jason A
JA
Horsley
2The Medical School,University of Sheffield,Sheffield,UK.
Katie Ar
KA
Absalom
2The Medical School,University of Sheffield,Sheffield,UK.
Evie M
EM
Akiens
2The Medical School,University of Sheffield,Sheffield,UK.
Robert J
RJ
Dunk
2The Medical School,University of Sheffield,Sheffield,UK.
Alice M
AM
Ferguson
D002675:Child, Preschool; D002755:Choice Behavior; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003625:Data Collection; D004739:England; D057140:Fast Foods; D005523:Food Supply; D058870:Food, Organic; D006801:Humans; D040541:Marketing / Q000379:methods*