Encouraging Healthier Food and Beverage Purchasing and Consumption: A Review of Interventions within Grocery Retail Settings

Abstract

This review identifies the most promising intervention strategies for promoting the purchase and consumption of healthier items within U.S. grocery retail settings, with a particular focus on those strategies that may be most effective when implemented within SNAP-authorized retail settings. Searches of nine electronic databases, as well as forward and backward searches, yielded 1942 studies. After being screened, 73 peer-reviewed academic articles were identified for inclusion. Of these, 33 analyzed single-component interventions, while 40 assessed multi-component interventions. The following unique intervention types were considered as evaluated in these studies for their ability to increase healthy item purchasing and consumption: (1) nutrition scoring, (2) nutritional messaging, (3) non-nutritional messaging, (4) endcaps and secondary placement, (5) point-of-sale interventions, (6) increased stocking, (7) food tasting and demonstrations, (8) nutrition education, and (9) placement on shelf interventions. Nutritional scoring and nutritional messaging emerged as the most rigorously tested and effective intervention strategies. Other strategies warrant more research attention. Simple intervention strategies, as opposed to complex ones, yield the most successful results and minimize shopper burden. Therefore, these strategies should be reviewed for policy implementation within SNAP-authorized grocery retailers.

The effect of retail shelf position on private-label brand evaluations

“…Shelf positioning often has a more significant impact on sales than the amount of shelf space a brand occupies (Dr eze et al, 1994;H€ ubner et al, 2020Sample et al, 2020). Shelf positioning not only helps retailers boost sales, but can also influence consumers' information processing and decision making, such as in the choice of healthier food options (Grandi et al, 2021;Wolgast et al, 2022). Shelf positioning influences consumer perceptions and choice through inference-based and attention-based mechanisms (Valenzuela and Raghubir, 2009).…”

“…Shelf positioning not only helps retailers boost sales, but can also influence consumers’ information processing and decision making, such as in the choice of healthier food options (Grandi et al. , 2021; Wolgast et al. , 2022).…”

“…Borin and Farris, 1995;D€ usterh€ oft et al, 2020;Flamand et al, 2018;Hansen et al, 2010;H€ ubner, 2017;Murray et al, 2010;Urban, 1998;Van Nierop et al, 2008) and investigated the effects of retail shelf display characteristics on consumers' information processing, attitudes, and behaviors (e.g. Chandon et al, 2009;Dr eze et al, 1994;Grandi et al, 2021;Ladeira et al, 2020;Sample et al, 2020;Valenzuela and Raghubir, 2009;Wolgast et al, 2022). In an extension of the literature on retail shelf displays, this article examines to what extent and through what mechanism the shelf positioning of PLBs relative to NBs influences consumer responses toward PLBs.…”