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In-store food environment for adults and children in Nova Scotia, Canada

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Abstract

Objectives

This paper examines the retail food environment in grocery and convenience stores across Nova Scotia with specific attention to prominence and promotion of foods and beverages, as well as in-store promotion of foods and beverages to children.

Methods

A descriptive cross-sectional analysis of data on the availability, price, prominence, and promotion of foods and beverages classified as “healthier” and “less healthy” was undertaken as a part of a Nova Scotia Consumer Food Environment (NS-CFE) project. Data were collected in a random stratified sample of 47 grocery stores and 59 convenience stores by trained research assistants working in pairs using adapted Nutrition Environment Measures Survey Toronto grocery store (NEMS-S) and NEMS Corner Store (NEMS-CS) tools.

Results

“Less healthy” snack foods and sugar-sweetened beverages were more prominently displayed than “healthier” options with an exception of cereal, at both grocery and convenience stores (all p < 0.001). Coke™ and fruit juice were more expensive than water in both grocery and convenience stores (both p ≤ 0.05). Significantly more child-specific strategies were used to promote “less healthy” compared with “healthier” options in both grocery and convenience stores (both p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Results of this study demonstrate that “less healthy” options are significantly more prominently displayed and more heavily marketed to all Nova Scotians, including children, in the retail food environment compared with items classified as “healthier”. These findings indicate that there is a need for comprehensive structural changes to the retail food environment in Nova Scotia, to support population health.

Résumé

Objectifs

Notre article porte sur l’environnement alimentaire au détail des épiceries et des dépanneurs en Nouvelle-Écosse, en particulier sur l’emplacement et la promotion des aliments et boissons et sur la promotion sur le lieu de vente des aliments et boissons destinés aux enfants.

Méthode

Dans le cadre d’un projet sur l’environnement alimentaire de consommation en Nouvelle-Écosse (Nova Scotia Consumer Food Environment, NS-CFE), nous avons mené une analyse transversale descriptive des données sur la disponibilité, le prix, l’emplacement et la promotion d’aliments et de boissons catégorisés comme étant « plus sains » et « moins sains ». Les données ont été collectées dans un échantillon aléatoire stratifié de 47 épiceries et de 59 dépanneurs par des adjoints à la recherche formés travaillant deux par deux à l’aide de deux outils de sondage adaptés : le NEMS-S (Nutrition Environment Measures Survey Toronto Grocery Store) et le NEMS-CS (NEMS Corner Store).

Résultats

Les grignotines et les boissons édulcorées au sucre « moins saines » étaient placées plus en vue que les options « plus saines », à l’exception des céréales, dans les épiceries comme dans les dépanneurs (tous, p < 0,001). Le Coke™ et les jus de fruits étaient plus chers que l’eau dans les épiceries comme dans les dépanneurs (les deux, p ≤ 0,05). Un nombre sensiblement plus élevé de stratégies visant expressément les enfants étaient employées pour promouvoir les options « moins saines » que les options « plus saines » dans les épiceries comme dans les dépanneurs (les deux, p < 0,001).

Conclusion

Les résultats de cette étude montrent que les options « moins saines » sont placées plus en vue et sont plus intensivement commercialisées aux Néo-Écossais, y compris aux enfants, dans l’environnement alimentaire au détail, que les articles catégorisés comme étant « plus sains ». Ces constatations montrent qu’il est nécessaire d’apporter des changements structurels globaux à l’environnement alimentaire au détail de la Nouvelle-Écosse pour favoriser la santé de la population.

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Acknowledgements

This research would not have been possible without the participation of grocery and convenience stores in Nova Scotia and we are grateful to those who participated. We would also like to thank the other members of the Nova Scotia Consumer Food Environment Research Advisory Committee, Phase 1 (Nicole Druhan-McGinn, Angela Fitzgerald, Amy MacDonald, Dr. Catherine Mah, Dr. Leia Minaker) and Phase 2 (Dr. Lesley Frank, Christine Johnson, Rita MacAulay, and Dr. Leia Minaker) for their support and advice, and the many staff, students, and partners who have supported various aspects of this research. Special thanks to Dr. Ilya Blum for his support with sampling and statistical analysis during Phase 1 of the work, and to Eric Hemphill for his support with Phase 2 of the project.

Author contributions

As the Principal Investigator of the NS-CFE and guarantor of the study, P.L.W. conceived and designed the overall study, with input from M.W. (Phase 1 Research Coordinator), S.G. (Advisory Committee member), and other members of the NS-CFE Phase 1 Advisory Committee (see acknowledgements). P.L.W. and M.W. oversaw project administration, data collection, and Phase 1 data analysis with input from NS-CFE Phase 1 Advisory Committee; A.G. undertook Phase 2 data analysis with input from all coauthors, and other members of the Phase 2 Advisory Committee. The original draft of this paper was written by K.K. during a MSVU Dietetic Intern placement at FoodARC which was supervised by P.L.W.; all coauthors contributed to interpretation of findings and reviewed and edited the manuscript for important intellectual content. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding

This project was commissioned and funded by the Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness, and we are grateful for their leadership and financial support for this work. We applied the FLAE approach for the sequence of authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Food Action Research Centre (FoodARC) and Department of Applied Human Nutrition, Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

    Ksenia Kholina, Manfred Egbe & Patricia L. Williams

  2. Maritime SPOR Support Unit and Nova Scotia Health Authority, Halifax, Canada

    Amy Grant

  3. Public Health Central Zone, Nova Scotia Health Authority, Halifax, Canada

    Madeleine Waddington

  4. Department of Applied Human Nutrition, Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, Canada

    Shannan Grant

  5. Department of Pediatrics, IWK Health Centre and Department of Pediatrics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada

    Shannan Grant

  6. School of Planning, Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada

    Mikiko Terashima

  7. Healthy Populations Institute, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada

    Patricia L. Williams

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  1. Ksenia Kholina
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  2. Amy Grant
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Correspondence to Patricia L. Williams.

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Kholina, K., Grant, A., Waddington, M. et al. In-store food environment for adults and children in Nova Scotia, Canada. Can J Public Health 112, 430–439 (2021). https://doi.org/10.17269/s41997-020-00431-1

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