High‐energy dense food and sugar‐sweetened beverages are most likely placed and available at special displays in stores of Mexico City
Authors: Aguilar Paulina , Bernal Anabel Velasco , Velázquez Betinna Bolado , Chávez Paulina Hernández 
Published: November 2023

Food environment and in‐store characteristics may influence consumer purchases of a product, compromising the quality in their food choices. Product placement can somehow influence the relative attractiveness of specific items such as energy‐dense foods and drinks. Retail stores are an important component of the nutrition environment as they represent one of the most common food shopping locations.

The aim of this study is to describe the availability, to assess and document the physical position, distribution and strategic placement of food and beverages within major supermarket chains in Mexico City; with a special interest in documenting placement of SSB and other non‐basic energy dense food.

A field study was done between May to June 2015 in thirty‐two retail stores in Mexico City, selected based on the criteria of population density. An audit tool was developed by our team based on similar studies. The data assessed included dimensions of stores and aisle lengths, island bin displays, end‐of‐aisle displays, placement of products at shelves examined in horizontal and vertical arrays, checkouts and products out of place. Auditors assessed the presence of each of the following items: fruits and vegetables, SSB, unsweetened beverages, sugary snacks, salty snacks, cereal, confectionery, groceries, dairy products, alcoholic drinks and other products including non‐food merchandise. Measurements were taken to calculate the total area of the store, lengths of aisles, space occupied by island displays, and end of aisles, with the intention to compare the area dedicated to food products and compare it with the non‐food section, as well as identify the difference regarding placement of high‐dense products and non‐high‐dense products.

It was found that comparing high‐dense food and fresh food, in all stores there were 1.3 more times length of aisle for all snack food than fresh fruit and vegetables. Also there was almost two more times length of aisle dedicated to sugar‐sweetened beverages (SSB) than unsweetened beverages. In all stores, the product with the largest shelf space within the sweet snack food category (sugary snacks, sugared cereal and confectionery) corresponded to sugary snacks. The products placed on the island bins displays were mostly processed products high in fat and sugars, these products were strongly promoted throughout the supermarket and exhibited to increase their visibility. SSB were the most common represented category in islands followed by sugary snacks and salty snacks.

Snack foods and SSB were the products found the most at the end‐of‐aisle displays, presenting in general more products available at front‐of‐aisle displays rather than at back‐of‐aisle displays. In almost all of the stores, confectionery products were displayed at checkouts, in almost half of the stores, checkouts displayed soft drinks, being SSB the most common item observed, and very few (less than 10%) had fresh fruits and vegetables available. In addition, the predominant categories of products out of place found were salty snacks and plain bottled water placed in most of the cases in the fruit and vegetable section. Overall, the placement of non‐basic energy‐dense food could trigger an impulsive purchase and make difficult to achieve a good nutrition and health.

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