Point-of-purchase availability of healthy food products in a nationwide sample of food stores

Introduction: Product placement is a key component of any food marketing strategy. The placement of sugar-sweetened beverages and other energy-dense foods at the point-of purchase may encourage impulse buying and potentially increase consumption of these foods. This presentation explores the availability of four products (candy, sweetened beverages, bottled water, and fresh fruits/vegetables) at cash registers in a sample of food outlets across the U.S. Methods: As part of a nationwide study of policy and environmental factors affecting childhood obesity, data collectors observed 3,117 food stores of varying types/sizes across 157 communities from April-July, 2011. A comparable number of communities and their respective food store samples were observed in 2010 (n=2,290 stores) and 2012 (n=3,064). Results: Preliminary results indicate widespread availability of candy (82-97%) at stores' point-of-purchase areas compared to fresh fruits/vegetables (11-13%) across all types of food stores. Communities with a majority Latino population had the highest percentage of stores (21%) offering fruits/vegetables at checkout. Sweetened beverages were significantly more likely to be placed at the cash register in supermarkets (95%), grocery stores (41%) and convenience stores (29%) compared to bottled water (91%, 28%, 17%, respectively); community income composition did not alter this relationship. Changes over time in point-of-purchase item configuration as well as point-of-purchase variations due to store characteristics (e.g., size of store, general availability of healthy products) also will be presented. Discussion: Healthy in-store marketing can encourage healthier food and beverage choices and, therein, help address the obesity epidemic. Best practice recommendations for food retailers will be discussed.