Food Retail Research Articles

The Evolution of Case Management System (CMS) in Indian District Judiciary

The rapid evolution of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) presents a dual scenario of opportunities and challenges in service delivery systems, especially in meeting the expectations of digitally literate citizens. As various sectors move towards online platforms for service provision, including food delivery, healthcare, and retail, a critical need arises to extend similar conveniences to the judicial domain. By embracing technology, we can enhance the accessibility and efficiency of legal services, benefiting individuals across diverse demographics and instilling hope for a more efficient and accessible judicial system. In India, the judicial system, overseen predominantly by Judicial Service Officers, has undergone significant transitions, departing from historical practices involving Civil Service Officers. This paper makes a unique contribution to the discourse on modernising judicial processes by exploring the adoption of technology-driven solutions such as the Case Management System (CMS) in the District Judiciaries of India. Through a comprehensive investigation into the dynamics of case management within Indian District Courts, with a specific emphasis on the utilisation and impact of CMS, this research aims to foster accessibility, transparency, and the consolidation of the rule of law. Additionally, the paper reviews global experiences, such as the implementation of e-court initiatives in various countries, including Malaysia and the United Kingdom, shedding light on the transformative potential of technology in enhancing judicial efficiency and service quality. This study highlights the significance of efficient case management in ensuring timely justice delivery, resource optimisation, litigant satisfaction, transparency, and upholding the rule of law, but also provides practical insights into the evolution of Case Information System (CIS) in Indian district courts. From CIS 1.0 to the latest iteration, CIS 3.2, this research delves into the technological advancements and potential challenges and solutions associated with their implementation. Ultimately, this research advocates for a forward-looking approach to leveraging technology to create a more efficient, transparent, and accessible judicial framework in India and beyond.

Exploring the perception of small and medium food enterprises in Lincolnshire, UK on the use of front‐of‐pack nutrition labels by consumers

SummaryThe food and drink industry is the UK's largest manufacturing sector, and small to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) play a key role in the UK's food system. This study investigates food‐providing SMEs' knowledge of nutrition labels and perceptions of the use of front‐of‐pack nutrition labels in making informed and healthy food choices by consumers. The SMEs were based in Lincolnshire, UK, and comprised food manufacturers (75%), food retailers (14%) and food service providers (11%) (n = 35). A 25‐item questionnaire was developed and validated to collect responses. The questionnaire link was disseminated by email and completed online. Comparisons were made between competing answers using Cochran's Q tests, each with post‐hoc pairwise McNemar test comparisons. Confidence intervals were computed using ordinal regressions. More than half of the SMEs' products (58%) had UK traffic light (TL) colour‐coded schemes and % Guideline Daily Amounts (GDAs). The SMEs stated that the TL label was the best format that provided ‘at‐a‐glance’ information, and this was significantly higher than %GDA and interpretative text (Ps < 0.003). Nearly 49% of the SMEs were unaware of the front‐of‐pack labels being not mandatory in the United Kingdom. Many (86%) acknowledged that the nutrition information on food products was helpful or very helpful for consumers in making purchasing decisions. The SMEs seemed to place the costs of implementing FOP labels on food products above their helpfulness in making healthier food decisions by consumers. This research is one of the first to investigate the perceptions of SMEs on how consumers utilise nutrition labels when making healthier food choices in the United Kingdom. Government subsidies on the costs incurred by incorporating TL labelling on the products are necessary in order to have front of pack (FOP) labels mandatory in the United Kingdom. Greater food industry involvement in academic and policy‐related research is essential to creating a healthier and more sustainable food environment.

Eating Macro-Algae (Seaweed): Understanding Factors Driving New Zealand Consumers' Willingness to Eat and Their Perceived Trust towards Country of Origin.

Macro-algae is an umbrella term for seaweed, which is an important ingredient in many novel food products in New Zealand and other Australasian countries. While attitudes, consumption motivation, knowledge, and socio-demographic consumer profiles have been investigated in specific countries in the region, consumer behavior such as willingness to eat and factors driving this behavior have not yet been explored. Therefore, the present study fills this research gap in a New Zealand context and explores predictors of New Zealand consumers' willingness to eat macro-algae and their perceived trust towards the countries of origin of these products. The symbolic value of food, health importance, food safety concerns, and food fussiness were the factors under investigation. The work builds on an online questionnaire and a sample of 437 consumers mirroring the New Zealand population in terms of gender, age, and annual household income. Data were collected through an opt-in panel provider in November 2023. The data analysis consisted of descriptive statistics and partial least square structural equation modeling. Results show that health importance and food fussiness tendencies are the strongest predictors of willingness to eat and trustworthiness of the two countries of origin. Best practice recommendations for marketing managers in New Zealand food retail are provided.

Advancing Fruit Image Classification with State-of-the-Art Deep Learning Techniques

Fruit image classification technology using deep learning is making significant contributions in the agriculture and food retail sectors, promising to increase efficiency and productivity. However, there is an identified knowledge gap in dealing with the considerable variation in fruit appearance caused by factors such as type, size, color, and lighting conditions, as well as the precise identification of damage or disease. This research focuses on applying the developed Convolutional Neural Network architecture to fill this gap by using it in an extensive and diverse dataset, covering 67,692 image files categorized into 131 fruit classes. The training process showed substantial accuracy improvement, with training accuracy reaching 98.39% and validation accuracy at 90%, while training loss decreased to 0.0430 and validation loss to 0.2991. In the advanced stage of training, the training accuracy peaked at 99.43% in the 59th epoch with a shallow loss of 0.0251. However, the validation loss showed variation, indicating room for improvement in model generalization. The findings provide insight into the potential and challenges of applying Convolutional Neural Network models and fruit image classification with improved fruit sorting accuracy. Contribution to the literature in the field of information technology and agriculture by showing deep learning models can be improved to address the issue of fruit image variability.

Effect of innovation in communication message on financial customer relationships: New evidence from Saudi Arabia

The study aimed to measure the impact of innovation in the communication message on the financial customer relations of the companies listed in stock market in Saudi Arabia "TADAWL", as well as to determine the level of significant difference in perception level of innovation and customer relations according to demographics. The study consists of two populations. The first is all companies listed in the Saudi stock market "TADAWL" that apply marketing innovation. The total companies reached 38 in six key sectors in the economy: consumer services, food retailing, food production, health care, banks, and communications. The second population is all the customers of the listed companies. The research methodology used a full survey method to collect data from companies, and the convenience sample technique was used. Total of Customers reached 500. The study concludes innovation in the communication message- content and design – have a high degree of perception. The study also concludes a strong positive impact of innovation in the content on financial relationships of the listed companies in TADAWL. The statistical differences show significant differences in the innovation in message design according to financial resources of innovation tended to 10% or more, and no such differences in the customer financial relationships according to all demographics. Finally, the presented a set of recommendations that enhance the innovation and financial relationships in the surveyed companies in Saudi Arabia.

Impacts of Behavioral, Organizational, and Spatial Factors on the Carbon Footprint of Traditional Retail and E-commerce in the Paris Region.

Carbon footprint assessment of retail is necessary to optimize procurement strategies and adopt sustainable shopping habits. However, estimating carbon footprints is a complex task, given the diversity of existing distribution channels. Average values for carbon emissions of "conventional" retail (i.e., purchasing and receiving the product directly at the physical point of sale) found in most studies mask a heterogeneous reality: different retail strategies entail diverse shopping behavior for consumers, as well as varied procurement processes for outlets. In this paper, we propose a methodology to assess greenhouse gas (GHG) impacts of different distribution systems related to the consumption of goods in the Paris Region by coupling traditional transport modeling with a life-cycle assessment (LCA) approach. We model and compare six distribution systems, including five traditional retail formats (hypermarkets, supermarkets, small generalist retail, small food retail, and small nonfood retail) and E-commerce home deliveries. Our model includes warehouse activity, shop and home delivery, shop energy consumption, consumer mobility, and goods packaging. Overall, we conclude that E-commerce emits fewer GHG emissions than retail outlets per kilogram of product purchased. This result is in line with the existing literature on the topic. However, the carbon footprint varies greatly within the case study depending on the characteristics of the logistics procurement processes of outlets, the behavior of shoppers, and spatial characteristics.

Comparision of Consumer Preferences in Regards to Food Retail Formats in Tirupati City, India

This study conducted in the year 2023 aimed to compare consumer preferences for various food retail formats in Tirupati city, focusing on organized and unorganized sectors, and to identify factors influencing their choices. A representative sample of 120 consumers was selected using simple random sampling, and primary data was collected through personal interviews. The findings revealed that 73.33 percent of the consumers in showed a moderate perception of both organized (62.50%) and unorganized (73.33%) food retail formats. Kirana stores (unorganized) and supermarkets (organized) were the preferred choices for purchasing food and groceries. The reasons for preferring organized retail formats included a wide range of products and better product presentation, while unorganized retail formats were favoured for more bargaining opportunities and locally sourced products. Income levels were found to influence retail format choices, with lower-income groups more likely to shop at unorganized formats. The SWOT analysis indicated that organized stores benefit from a wide range of products but face competition from unorganized formats and online platforms, while, unorganized stores build strong customer relationships but struggle with limited product variety and changing consumer preferences.

Analysis of Competition and the Level of Dominance in the Russian Food Retail Market

The article analyzes the competition and the level of dominance in the Russian food retail market for the period 2015-2022. A total of 36 companies were analyzed. The Lynd and Herfindahl–Hirschman indices, as well as the SV (strength/variety) matrix, were used as analytical tools. As the results of the study showed, the food retail industry in Russia is highly competitive. Over the past eight years, the combined share of key players has increased, but does not exceed 30%, and therefore it was concluded that there is no dominance in the food retail market in Russia. Due to the active process of acquisitions and mergers by key players, 2 main players have formed: X5 Group and PJSC Magnit, and there is also a high saturation of small companies. It is worth noting that despite the pandemic and instability.

A high density of ultra-processed food, alcohol & tobacco retail stores, and social inequalities are associated with higher mortality rates of non-communicable diseases in Mexican adults: 2005 to 2021.

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading causes of mortality in Mexico. Factors contributing to NCDs-related deaths may vary across small geographic areas such as municipalities. We aimed to predict municipal-level factors associated with NCD mortality in Mexican adults from 2005 to 2021 using the small-area analysis (SSA) approach. We gathered data on population sociodemographic, access to healthcare services, and mortality records at the municipal-level from census and public institutions from 2005 to 2021. We identified municipal predictors of NCDs mortality rates (MR) using negative binomial regression models. A total of 584,052 observations of Mexican adults were analyzed. The national expected NCDs MR per 100,000 inhabitants was 210.7 (95%CI: 196.1-226.7) in 2005 and increased to 322.4 (95%CI: 300.3-346.4) by 2021. Predictors of NCDs mortality (quintile 5 vs. quintile 1) included; indigeneity (IRR = 1.15, 95%CI: 1.12-1.19), poverty (IRR = 1.14, 95%CI: 1.13-1.15), affiliation with Mexican Social Security Institute (IRR = 1.11, 95%CI: 1.09-1.14), households with television (IRR = 1.14, 95%CI: 1.11-1.17), and high density of ultra-processed food, alcohol & tobacco retail stores (IRR = 1.15, 95%CI: 1.13-1.17). The greatest increases in MR were observed in municipalities from Oaxaca (>200% increments). There was an overall increase in NCDs MR from 2005 to 2021, with a significant geographic variation among Mexican municipalities. The results of this study highlight the importance of identifying priority areas in the country that urgently require public policies focused on local factors associated with deaths from NCDs, such as the regulation of the ultra-processed food, alcohol & tobacco retail stores, and efforts to reduce social inequalities.

INVESTIGATING INTO CUSTOMER PREFERENCE AND SATISFACTION REGARDING FROZEN AND INSTANT FOOD PRODUCTS

This study aims to explore consumer preferences and satisfaction levels regarding frozen and instant food products. The research employs a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews to gather comprehensive data. The survey will assess factors influencing purchase decisions, such as taste, convenience, price, and perceived healthiness. Additionally, interviews will delve deeper into consumer perceptions, attitudes, and experiences with frozen and instant food items. Findings from this research will provide valuable insights for food manufacturers, retailers, and marketers to better understand customer needs and enhance product offerings to meet evolving consumer demands in the frozen and instant food market segment. KEYWORDS: Customer preference, Satisfaction, Frozen food, Instant food, Consumer behaviour, Purchase decision, Taste, Convenience, Price, Market research, Food industry.

Optimizing Warehousing Strategies for Retail Food Live Streaming on Supply Chain Cost: A Case Study of TikTok

The outbreak has indeed left a significant impact on the traditional offline sales model. However, it has simultaneously catalyzed the flourishing growth of the e-commerce live-streaming industry. Consumers have progressively adapted to this novel online shopping mode, signifying a paradigm shift in retail dynamics. Therefore, this paper studies the cost problem under different strategic choices of logistics and warehousing for retail food from the perspective of a platform system and analyzes the after-sale cost of a two-level retail food supply chain consisting of a manufacturer and an e-commerce platform by combining data and theory. This study further analyzes the optimal decision problem for e-commerce cloud warehousing, traditional warehousing systems and a combination of e-commerce cloud warehousing and traditional warehousing systems. This study not only enhances our understanding of the profound shifts in the retail food sector but also equips e-commerce platforms with concrete theoretical insights and practical references to bolster their supply chain cost management strategies in a post-outbreak era characterized by evolving consumer preferences and dynamic market conditions.

What extraordinary times tell us about ordinary ones: A multiple case study of precariously employed food retail and service workers in two U.S. state contexts during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Disease prevention relies on a complex interplay between social context and individual behaviors. Work and the employment conditions that shape it are key domains where this interplay occurs, a reality highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic. To explore the links between employment quality and social context as drivers of disease prevention, we conducted a multiple case study of food retail and services workers during COVID-19 in two U.S. states - Indiana and Washington - with differing norms and policy landscapes. We drew on public health surveillance data, government/NGO documents, and media sources to contextualize in-depth interviews with 26 precariously employed food workers. Analysis consisted of a within-case and a cross-case phase, each drawing on state contextual and interview data. Precariously employed food workers in Indiana and Washington had contrasting expectations of employers, government, and public health that we interpret as parallels of policies and norms in their respective states. Workers in both states discussed preventive behaviors in an individualized way, but appeared motivated by different constraints on their choices. Our study points to the importance of explicitly considering employment and the social safety net in public health to better prepare us for the next crisis and ameliorate health inequities under ordinary circumstances.

Environmental impacts assessment in packaging and its contribution to reducing food waste

In the modern world, food consumption is not limited to areas near production centers. In this complex distribution chain, packaging plays a crucial role, extending shelf life and protecting products from contaminants or mechanical damage, contributing to reducing food waste during transportation, retail, and inside our homes. On the other hand, packaging is responsible for environmental impacts that are perceived as very harmful to environment by consumers. However, is it possible to demonstrate that packaging, in certain products and operating conditions, can be beneficial to environment? The goal of this article is to investigate the potential environmental performance of food products sold with or without packaging. To identify the potential food waste reduction through the use of packaging, three interviews were conducted with supermarket owners in Curitiba - Brazil. The interviews have revealed that the use of packaging can result in a food waste reduction of up to 20 %, because it prevents excessive products handling and allows for sale of damaged product parts. The products identified as critical and selected for this study were broccoli, grapes, and papaya, for which a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was conducted to compare potential impacts of samples of products exposed with and without packaging and to simulate the food waste reduction rate at which the use of packaging could be favorable in each impact category. The functional unit considered was 1 kg of food product for human consumption. The product system embraced a cradle-to-grave approach, covering food and packaging production, retail, and final disposal of both food and packaging. Calculations were performed using the Ecoinvent 3.8v database, the EPD (2018) method, and potential impacts were determined through OpenLCA. Results indicated that, in the case of excessive handling, packaged broccoli and grapes had lower impacts in seven of eight evaluated categories. The use of packaged cut papaya had lower impacts in all eight categories, with restrictions regarding the amount of packaging used in the process. The study concludes that the evaluation of the use of packaging should consider the reduction of product waste generated by them. The main contribution of this study, therefore, is to emphasize the importance of evaluate all impacts related to a product, not just those that are easily known, such as the generation of solid waste in packaged products.

The association between neighborhood obesogenic factors and prostate cancer risk and mortality: the Southern Community Cohort Study.

Prostate cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality among men in the United States. We examined the role of neighborhood obesogenic attributes on prostate cancer risk and mortality in the Southern Community Cohort Study (SCCS). From the total of 34,166 SCCS male participants, 28,356 were included in the analysis. We assessed the relationship between neighborhood obesogenic factors [neighborhood socioeconomic status (nSES) and neighborhood obesogenic environment indices including the restaurant environment index, the retail food environment index, parks, recreational facilities, and businesses] and prostate cancer risk and mortality by controlling for individual-level factors using a multivariable Cox proportional hazards model. We further stratified prostate cancer risk analysis by race and body mass index (BMI). Median follow-up time was 133 months [interquartile range (IQR): 103, 152], and the mean age was 51.62 (SD: ± 8.42) years. There were 1,524 (5.37%) prostate cancer diagnoses and 98 (6.43%) prostate cancer deaths during follow-up. Compared to participants residing in the wealthiest quintile, those residing in the poorest quintile had a higher risk of prostate cancer (aHR = 1.32, 95% CI 1.12-1.57, p = 0.001), particularly among non-obese men with a BMI < 30 (aHR = 1.46, 95% CI 1.07-1.98, p = 0.016). The restaurant environment index was associated with a higher prostate cancer risk in overweight (BMI ≥ 25) White men (aHR = 3.37, 95% CI 1.04-10.94, p = 0.043, quintile 1 vs. None). Obese Black individuals without any neighborhood recreational facilities had a 42% higher risk (aHR = 1.42, 95% CI 1.04-1.94, p = 0.026) compared to those with any access. Compared to residents in the wealthiest quintile and most walkable area, those residing within the poorest quintile (aHR = 3.43, 95% CI 1.54-7.64, p = 0.003) or the least walkable area (aHR = 3.45, 95% CI 1.22-9.78, p = 0.020) had a higher risk of prostate cancer death. Living in a lower-nSES area was associated with a higher prostate cancer risk, particularly among Black men. Restaurant and retail food environment indices were also associated with a higher prostate cancer risk, with stronger associations within overweight White individuals. Finally, residing in a low-SES neighborhood or the least walkable areas were associated with a higher risk of prostate cancer mortality.

Development of a Tool for Reporting Key Dietary Indicators from Sales Data in Remote Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Stores.

Reporting key dietary indicators from sales data can help us guide store decision makers in developing effective store policy to support healthier customer purchases. We aimed to develop a web-based reporting tool of key dietary indicators from sales data to support health-promoting policy and practice in stores in geographically remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Tool development included identifying key dietary indicators (informed by sales data from 31 stores), community consultation (19 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander store directors and two store managers) and a web-build. Tool evaluation involved feedback interviews with stakeholders (25 store managers and two nutritionists). Key dietary indicators aligned with Australian Dietary Guideline food groupings and recommendations. An online portal for accessing and customising reports was built. Stakeholder feedback indicated that the strengths of the reports were the visuals, ease of interpretation, providing information that was not currently available and potential to increase capacity to support healthy food retailing. Difficulties were defining healthiness classification with alignment to other nutrition guidelines used and ensuring reports reached relevant store decision makers. This tool may be valuable to support store decision makers in identifying and prioritising nutrition issues and optimising the health-enabling attributes of stores.

Economic, Cultural, Social Determinants of Black Women Obesity

Obesity is a widespread problem in the United States, particularly affecting Black communities. It is a public health problem, a long-term, cumulative issue of economic and social justice and inequality for this demographic group. Thus, the key to solving it is to eliminate persistent structural root causes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2022, the prevalence of obesity among African American adults is 49.5%, with Black women having the highest prevalence compared to other racial and ethnic groups. The main purpose of this study is to provide a comprehensive literature review that examines the multifaceted factors contributing to obesity among African American women, as well as systematise the determinants related to the economic well-being of the community, social factors, cultural patterns of lifestyle in the community, etc. The analysis revealed a clear inverse relationship between income and obesity among African Americans, with this trend being particularly pronounced among women than men and differing across age groups in black communities. The economic determinants of obesity in Black women are related to the fact that low-income households have limited access to affordable and nutritious food and are regularly exposed to stress related to financial difficulties, with so-called “food swamps” and “food deserts” being common in low-income areas. The social determinants of obesity are related to the fact that Black women face higher levels of racism and sexism than other demographic groups, and unequal social conditions cause structural disparities in health, education and employment. Psycho-social and cultural determinants (cultural norms of body image, social influencers, religion, social networks and family upbringing, etc.) play a key role in the emergence of the problem under study, so Black women often model their eating and physical activity habits by cultural traditions, and those who struggle with overweight may face stigma, social isolation and discrimination. The article makes recommendations for reducing obesity among Black women, which primarily relate to the development of culturally sensitive nutrition education programs, community-based health promotion programs, community-centered food policy advocacy, technology-based health platforms, public-private partnerships for affordable healthy food retail, etc.

Analysis of Potential Economic Damage to Consumers and Business Entities Posed by Circulation of Non-Conforming Food Products and Ways to Reduce It

Introduction: Failure to comply with sanitary and epidemiological requirements poses risks of harm to consumer health and damage to business entities, which reduction necessitates the search for effective preventive measures. Objective: To analyze the potential economic damage to consumers and business entities related to circulation of food products and to consider ways to reduce it. Materials and methods: We have analyzed data collected by the Sverdlovsk Regional Rospotrebnadzor Office on violations of mandatory legal requirements by business entities and administrative fines imposed within inspections; the Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology in the Sverdlovsk Region on laboratory test results and customer complaints; the Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat) on the prices of food products by groups; the Regional Operator for Municipal Solid Waste Management on the cost of disposal of a ton of withdrawn non-conforming products, and the Yekaterinburg Medical Research Center for Prophylaxis and Health Protection in Industrial Workers on the results of audits and questionnaire-based surveys of food enterprises for the years 2015–2019 and 2022 using Microsoft Excel tools and the Statistica 10 software. Results: The annual economic damage from the circulation of non-conforming products for food retailers averaged 73,893.5 thousand rubles. We observed a 1.5-fold increase in the number of customers’ product quality complaints. The structure of damages shows an increase in disposal costs and those related to customer complaints. At the same time, decreasing administrative fines undermine motivation of businesses to comply with mandatory sanitary and epidemiological regulations. Large and small retailers lose on average 2,630.2 and 16.2 thousand rubles per enterprise per year, respectively. An integrated approach to carrying out preventive measures using theoretical and practical knowledge and skills in managing the quality and safety of products has been shown to reduce the number of violations of sanitary and epidemiological requirements in more than 40 % of enterprises, that of complaints – in 20 % of the companies, and general expenditures on withdrawal and disposal of non-conforming and dangerous products. Conclusions: After supervisory activities have been cut down, the total potential damage to business entities is largely attributed to customer complaints and disposal of non-conforming products. Large retailers selling dairy, meet, and fish products, fruit and vegetables are at higher risk of economic damages. Raising awareness of the total economic damage among business entities when carrying out preventive measures can be considered as an incentive to comply with mandatory quality requirements.

Agreement between a web collaborative dataset and an administrative dataset to assess the retail food environment in Mexico

BackgroundLatin American countries are often limited in the availability of food outlet data. There is a need to use online search engines that allow the identification of food outlets and assess their agreement with field observations. We aimed to assess the agreement in the density of food outlets provided by a web collaborative data (Google) against the density obtained from an administrative registry. We also determined whether the agreement differed by type of food outlet and by area-level socioeconomic deprivation.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, we analyzed 1,693 census tracts from the municipalities of Hermosillo, Leon, Oaxaca de Juarez, and Tlalpan. The Google service was used to develop a tool for the automatic acquisition of food outlet data. To assess agreement, we compared food outlet densities obtained with Google against those registered in the National Statistical Directory of Economic Units (DENUE). Continuous densities were assessed using Bland–Altman plots and concordance correlation coefficient (CCC), while agreement across tertiles of density was estimated using weighted kappa.ResultsThe CCC indicated a strong correlation between Google and DENUE in the overall sample (0.75); by food outlet, most of the correlations were from negligible (0.08) to moderate (0.58). The CCC showed a weaker correlation as deprivation increased. Weighted kappa indicated substantial agreement between Google and DENUE across all census tracts (0.64). By type of food outlet, the weighted kappa showed substantial agreement for restaurants (0.69) and specialty food stores (0.68); the agreement was moderate for convenience stores/small food retail stores (0.49) and fair for candy/ice cream stores (0.30). Weighted kappa indicated substantial agreement in low-deprivation areas (0.63); in very high-deprivation areas, the agreement was moderate (0.42).ConclusionsGoogle could be useful in assessing fixed food outlet densities as a categorical indicator, especially for some establishments, like specialty food stores and restaurants. The data could also be informative of the availability of fixed food outlets, particularly in less deprived areas.

What’s in store for you? Identifying effective initiatives used in supermarkets to improve consumer purchasing: a systematic review

Supermarkets have been described as having unprecedented and disproportionate power in the food system, influencing population diets through the products they have for sale, their price, store layouts, and other marketing activities(1).There is growing evidence to suggest that changing the retail food environment to be more health-enabling via in-store interventions is possible. The purpose of this study was to review the available high-quality evidence reporting on the effectiveness of real-world supermarket-based interventions on improving the healthiness of consumer purchases and consumption. First, a systematic search across seven electronic databases was completed in April 2023 to identify reviews describing the effects of intervention strategies that aimed to improve the healthiness of consumer purchasing in supermarkets and grocery stores (overview of reviews). The methodological quality of reviews was assessed using the Risk of Bias In Systematic Reviews for systematic and scoping reviews, and the Scale for the Assessment of Narrative Review Articles for narrative reviews. Review findings were synthesised narratively. Next, high-quality, primary studies from these reviews were further inspected (review of primary studies). In-store interventions were categorised by strategy type(2), and outcome effects were coded as effective (positive/promising), ineffective or mixed/unclear(3). Results were synthesised narratively, and separately for population subgroups. Thirty-eight reviews published between 1989 and 2023 met the inclusion criteria. Most were systematic reviews (n = 29, 76%). The number of primary studies included in reviews ranged between eight and 211. Prompting (n = 19, 50%) and pricing (n = 15, 40%) were the most assessed strategy type, either alone or in combination with another strategy. From the overview of reviews, pricing strategies appeared to be the most promising at improving consumer purchasing. Twenty-three high-quality primary studies met the inclusion criteria for further review. In most studies (n = 21, 91%), the goal was to increase sales of healthy products, most commonly fruit and vegetables, or products with a higher nutritional ranking. Only two studies (9%) aimed to exclusively reduce sales of unhealthy/less healthy products. Promotion was the most assessed strategy type (n = 11, 48%), either alone or in combination with another strategy. Common promotion strategies included providing education to customers about the health benefits of selected products, offering samples of products and giving food demonstrations. From the review of primary studies, promotional strategies used in combination with another strategy appeared to be most successful in the general population, and pricing was successful in subgroups of the population, including socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals, and those living in regional/remote areas. Overall, the evidence reviewed shows that the implementation of health-promoting supermarket interventions are more likely to be successful if they include a substantial pricing initiative (particularly for some subgroups), or the inclusion of promotion in combination with another strategy.

Digital transformation in food retail: a case study of Lithuania e-grocery buying behaviours

Digital transformation in food retail: a case study of Lithuania e-grocery buying behaviours