A new report, Health on the Shelf published by RSPH and Slimming World, exposes the marketing tactics used to drive sales of unhealthy products and reveals that supermarket layout, pricing strategies and shopping environment is fuelling the obesity epidemic. The report is published in advance of the Government’s expected response to the consultation on layout and price promotions.
Health on the Shelf recommends:
To adopt a set of key principles to apply to all major supermarket retailers, to include: Greater allocation of shelf space to healthier products, based on the Government’s Eatwell Guide ;
The introduction of a healthy rewards scheme;
Provision of recipe cards and cooking demonstrations on how to use ingredients to create healthy meals.
Business rate reductions for supermarkets and retailers who take health seriously by adopting key principles.
Explore introducing a healthy rating scheme, similar to the FSA’s Food Hygiene Rating Scheme ‘scores on the doors’, based on the proportion of healthy and unhealthy products stocked.
To bring this to life, RSPH and Slimming World have opened the UK’s first ever supermarket designed by public health experts to nudge consumers to make healthier choices. Nudge at The People’s Supermarket, located in Central London, is open to the public, and highlights how supermarkets can be health promoting environments.
The re-imagined supermarket features:
Nudge points to encourage customers to re-consider their purchases, for example by swapping to a low-fat version;
Layout and shelf allocation based on what constitutes a balanced diet according to the Eatwell guide;
Knowledgeable and friendly staff with basic nutritional training;
Free samples of cheap and nutritious food and live cookery demonstrations made at the onsite kitchen, with accompanying recipe cards.
