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Using a Virtual Store As a Research Tool to Investigate Consumer In-store Behavior
Published on: July 24, 2017
Measuring the food environment: a systematic technique for characterizing food stores using display counts
Cassandra Miller1, J Nicholas Bodor, Donald Rose
1Healthy Communities Institute, 2054 University Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94704, USA.
Journal of Environmental and Public Health
|June 16, 2012
Summary
Snack foods are displayed more often than fruits and vegetables in stores, especially near checkouts. This highlights environmental factors influencing dietary behavior and food choices.
Area of Science:
- Environmental health
- Nutritional science
- Consumer behavior research
Background:
- In-store product placement significantly impacts consumer purchasing decisions.
- Limited research exists on the in-store food environment for fruits, vegetables, and energy-dense snacks, crucial for dietary behavior studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and apply a method for characterizing the in-store food environment.
- To quantify displays of fruits, vegetables, and energy-dense snacks and their proximity to cash registers across different store types.
Main Methods:
- Conducted observational studies in 172 New Orleans stores between 2007 and 2008.
- Measured the number of separate display stands for fruits, vegetables, and energy-dense snacks (chips, candies, sodas).
- Recorded the proximity of these displays to store cash registers.
Main Results:
- Energy-dense snack displays significantly outnumbered fruit and vegetable displays across all store types.
- Supermarkets featured an average of 20 energy-dense snack displays near cash registers.
- No supermarkets displayed fruits or vegetables near their cash registers.
Conclusions:
- The number and placement of food displays, particularly near cash registers, are key environmental factors influencing food accessibility and potential consumption.
- This measurement method can aid researchers in characterizing food environments and inform policymakers on strategies to improve public health through food environment interventions.
