Adopting healthier cooking oils: Findings from a qualitative study among independent food outlets in a rural district in Australia

Abstract

Issue addressed This study explored key factors that motivated independent food outlets to voluntarily adopt healthier cooking oils following a health promotion intervention. Methods Sixteen food outlet managers from the Cessnock Local Government Area (LGA) participated in semi‐structured interviews and a brief questionnaire which explored factors determining what cooking oils they use in preparing deep‐fried foods. Interviews were analysed thematically and closed responses to survey questions using descriptive statistics. Results Four main reasons emerged around decisions relating to oil choice: fry life, cost, taste and general health. Health implications, Council advice, competitive price and maintaining a good relationship with the Council were the most frequently reported motivators for swapping to a healthier oil. Conclusion Behaviour change among food outlet managers to switch cooking oils is influenced by a number of health‐related and non‐health‐related factors. Council Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) can be a catalyst for food outlets to adopt healthier food preparation practices. So what? This study highlights the factors which may motivate the switch to healthier oils by independent food outlets. EHOs are critical partners for health promotion initiatives that target the independent food service sector.

The association of social and food preparation location context with the quality of meals and snacks consumed by young adults: findings from the MYMeals wearable camera study

“…The Socio-Economic Status and Activity in Women in Australia study identified that women from higher SES were less likely to consume fast food and were more likely to consume meals from non-fast-food restaurants than women from lower SES groups [ 35 ]. Government policies may also enable better choices when eating out such as legislation regarding the reformulation of foods to reduce fat, salt and sugar content [ 36 ] and the food industry use of healthier cooking practices such as the replacement of oils high in saturated fat with healthy oils [ 37 , 38 ]. Policies and new practices could reduce the promotion of discretionary foods [ 39 ], the use of pricing to support smaller serving sizes of discretionary items and substitution of lower energy side dishes such as salads to replace chips [ 40 ] could also be used.…”