Abstract
Poor diet is a leading cause of death in the United Kingdom (UK) and around the world. Methods to collect quality dietary information at scale for population research are time consuming, expensive and biased. Novel data sources offer potential to overcome these challenges and better understand population dietary patterns. In this research we will use 12 months of supermarket sales transaction data, from 2016, for primary shoppers residing in the Yorkshire and Humber region of the UK (n = 299,260), to identify dietary patterns and profile these according to their nutrient composition and the sociodemographic characteristics of the consumer purchasing with these patterns. Results identified seven dietary purchase patterns that we named: Fruity; Meat alternatives; Carnivores; Hydrators; Afternoon tea; Beer and wine lovers; and Sweet tooth. On average the daily energy intake of loyalty card holders -who may buy as an individual or for a household- is less than the adult reference intake, but this varies according to dietary purchase pattern. In general loyalty card holders meet the recommended salt intake, do not purchase enough carbohydrates, and purchase too much fat and protein, but not enough fibre. The dietary purchase pattern containing the highest amount of fibre (as an indicator of healthiness) is bought by the least deprived customers and the pattern with lowest fibre by the most deprived. In conclusion, supermarket sales data offer significant potential for understanding population dietary patterns.
Highlights
Poor diet is responsible for 90,000 deaths per year in the United Kingdom (UK) alone, equating to 1 in 7 of all deaths [1]
Participants in this research were 311,972 unique Nectar loyalty card holders that reside in the Yorkshire and Humber region of the United Kingdom
We present a novel analysis of large and complex supermarket transaction data that identifies dietary patterns purchased in the UK
Summary
Poor diet is responsible for 90,000 deaths per year in the United Kingdom (UK) alone, equating to 1 in 7 of all deaths [1]. It is a major modifiable risk factor for a range of noncommunicable disease [2] and poor diet can leave people more susceptible to infectious diseases [3]. There are numerous drivers of diet related behaviours including biological, economic, environmental and societal [4]. These factors can contribute to inequity with respect to access to a nutritious balanced diet. Access to food and drinks will systematically vary by country due to availability of products within local food systems, and to a different extent vary locally within countries [2,5].
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
