Abstract
Private-label products, products owned by supermarkets, are a growing area of the food supply. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of an intervention that provided an Australian supermarket (‘intervention supermarket’) with comparative nutrition data to improve the healthiness of their private-label range. Between 2015 and 2016, the intervention supermarket received reports that ranked the nutritional quality of their products against competitors. Changes in the nutrient content (sodium, sugar, saturated fat, energy and Health Star Rating) of products from the intervention supermarket between 2015 and 2018 were compared against changes achieved for three comparators (private-label products from two other supermarkets and branded products). The intervention supermarket achieved a significantly greater reduction in the sodium content of their products relative to all three comparators, which ranged between −104 and −52 mg/100 g (all p < 0.05). Conversely, the three comparators each achieved a greater relative reduction in the sugar content of their products by between −3.5 and −1.6 g/100 g (all p < 0.05). One of the comparators also had a greater relative reduction in the saturated fat and energy content of their products compared to the intervention supermarket (both p < 0.05). There were negligible differences in the Health Star Rating of products between the intervention supermarket and comparators (all p > 0.05). Providing comparative nutrition information to a supermarket may be ineffective in improving the healthiness of their private-label products, likely due to competing factors that play a role in the decision-making process behind product reformulation and product discontinuation/innovation.
Highlights
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, are the leading cause of death and disability globally [1]
With the exception of non-alcoholic beverages which decreased by 8.2%, the proportion of products in the other 11 categories all increased over time by between 2.9% and 69.6%
Between 2015 and 2018, we identified a significant reduction in the mean sodium content of products in the intervention supermarket
Summary
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, are the leading cause of death and disability globally [1]. In Australia, NCDs accounted for 89% of all deaths in 2016 [2] and are a major and growing economic burden on the health system [3,4]. Unhealthy diets are a leading modifiable risk factor for NCDs [5,6,7], driven by the availability of processed foods that frequently contain high quantities of added sodium, sugar and saturated fat [8,9]. Supermarkets dominate the retail food sector and, play an important role in the provision of processed foods in Australia and globally [10,11]. In Australia, supermarket sales accounted for 62% of household food expenditure between 2012 and 2013 [12]. The supermarket sector has been largely dominated by two chains, which have made up
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