Placing fruit and vegetable sections near supermarket entrances can increase purchases and improve the quality of women’s diets, according to new research funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NIHR).
Published in a magazine PLOS medicineThe study showed that placing such produce near store entrances resulted in approximately 2,525 extra pieces of fruit and vegetables being purchased per store per week. This was in contrast to the significant decline in population-level fruit and vegetable purchases and intake during the study period, which coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic and cost of living crisis.
The researchers say government regulations to curb advertising of unhealthy foods should not only limit the placement of unhealthy foods in areas such as checkouts, aisle ends, and store entrances, but also consider requiring produce sections at store entrances to maximize health benefits.
The study was led by researchers from the Food Policy Center at City St George’s, University of London and the MRC Life Course Epidemiology Center at the University of Southampton, in collaboration with other researchers from the University of Southampton, the University of Leeds and Australia’s Deakin University.
Obesity and poor dietary habits are major public health concerns, and retailers’ marketing strategies, often through in-store product placement, have a major influence on food choices. Previous research shows less than 1% promotions for fruits and vegetables. Many supermarkets keep fresh fruits and vegetables where customers see them when they enter the store, but this is less common in discount supermarkets and smaller supermarket chains.
The researchers conducted the trial between March 2018 and May 2022 in 36 stores (18 intervention and 18 control) of a UK discount supermarket chain. A total of 580 female clients aged 18 to 60 years participated in the study (280 intervention, 300 control). This group was targeted because by improving their diet, they can improve not only their own health, but also the short- and long-term health of their children. Women in this age group are still primarily responsible for meal-related household chores that influence the diet of their partners and family members.
The analysis showed that the difference in the intervention group compared to predicted store-level sales of fruits and vegetables equated to approximately 2,525 extra portions per store per week. These numbers have the potential to translate into clinically meaningful improvements in population health, as increasing fruit and vegetable intake by 50g per day (80g per serving) reduces all-cause mortality by 20%.
The results also suggest that 6 months after receiving the intervention, nutritional benefits may be slightly higher for families that primarily shop at learning stores and where female shoppers lack formal after-school education qualifications. Six months after receiving the intervention, women’s diet quality improved compared to women who did not receive the intervention.
Professor Christina Vogel, lead author of the study, Director of the Food Policy Center at City St George’s, University of London, and Adjunct Professor at the University of Southampton, said:
“The food industry and the public are falling into the trap of ”.”Junk food cycleUnhealthy foods are cheaply made, marketed profitably, appealing to eat, and affordable. To counter this, our research shows that placing fruits and vegetables at the entrance of discount supermarkets increased sales of fresh fruits and vegetables.
“These results are significant given that during the study period, fruit and vegetable sales and consumption in the UK fell at a population level due to COVID-19 and other issues. Over the same period, fruit purchases by UK households fell by 7.2% and vegetable purchases by 5.3%. On average, households bought less than four servings of fruit and vegetables per day for the whole family.”
“Given our findings, the government should consider extending the UK’s Food (Promotion and Placement) Regulations to require fresh food sections to be located near the entrance of all large grocery stores to increase sales of fruit and vegetables and improve people’s diets.”
Poor diets remain a major cause of poor health and inequality in the UK, and tackling this requires action across a wide range of policy areas. WRAPPED’s promising results show how small changes to supermarket layouts can influence our shopping habits and promote healthy eating habits that help prevent obesity and diet-related diseases. This is a great example of how carefully involving retailers in research can help provide actionable insights in the real world. ”
Professor Adam Briggs, NIHR Public Health Research (PHR) Program Director
sauce:
City St. George’s, University of London
Reference magazines:
Vogel, C. others. (2026). The effects of supermarket fruit and vegetable placement on store sales, customer purchases, meals, and household waste: A prospective matched-controlled cluster study. PLOS Medicine. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1004575. https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1004575
