Some of the fastest growing countries in the world are set for dietary disaster as the trend of convenience store and supermarket dominance takes hold, a new global study has found.
Researchers from Deakin University's Global Centre for Preventive Health and Nutrition GLOBE, in the Institute for Health Transformation IHT say the results of the study, published in Nature Food, reveal a seismic shift in the types of food stores springing up internationally over the past 15 years, with serious health implications for vulnerable low and middle-income countries.
Analysing data from 97 countries on retail changes over the past 15 years, the team found the number of chain supermarkets, hypermarkets and convenience stores per 10,000 people increased by 23.6% globally over the period.
Lead author and GLOBE Research Fellow, Dr Tailane Scapin, said the saturation of these modern retailers was the norm in high-income countries but now low and middle-income countries were catching up fast to the growing trend.
'In South Asia, the number of chain retail stores have increased by nearly 10% each year, with a corresponding drop off in independently owned traditional stores,' Dr Scapin said.
'And in a sign that retail is set for an even bigger shake up, grocery sales from digital retailers increased by 325% between 2014 and 2023 across 27 countries
'More chained supermarkets and convenience stores are bad for our health.
'In this study we see for the first time on a global scale that a change in the density of chain retailers and increasing unhealthy food sales is associated with an increased prevalence of obesity.
'Countries with the largest increases in obesity also saw the biggest changes in food retail, with more chain stores opening over the past 15 years.
'Large retail companies usually hold significant market power, using their dominance to determine what gets sold and what it costs.
'These companies also use aggressive marketing strategies to promote unhealthy foods, contributing to poor dietary habits and, as a consequence, negatively impacting their customers' health.'
Dr Scapin said that immediate action was needed to address the impact of changing food environments on reshaping diets and health worldwide.
'Our findings underscore the importance of regulating the retail environment to make sure that healthy, affordable foods are available and promoted, while the marketing and promotion of unhealthy food products is limited,' Dr Scapin said.
'In low and middle-income countries where supermarkets and convenience stores are spreading the fastest, governments have a time-limited opportunity to make sure that these new, modern retail stores promote healthy food.
'We know from the experience in North America, Europe and other high-income regions that once retailers are established, they are very hard to change.'
The research team called for urgent action from governments, retailers and the health promotion workforce to prioritise healthier retail food environments that support sustainable and healthy dietary patterns and positive public health outcomes.
'We see action being taken by some forward-thinking retailers and governments who know that this change will bring good health and economic outcomes. In the UK, for example, a regulation was introduced to limit unhealthy foods in prominent spots like checkout areas in grocery stores, aimed at helping customers avoid these products.
'This work paints a very clear picture that those brave actions need to happen quickly and be scaled up globally, even if they are opposed by some parts of the food industry,' Dr Scapin said.
The key research outcomes, with data from every region, country and income group over the study period, are available through an interactive dashboard.
This work was completed as part of a collaboration between UNICEF and the Centre of Research Excellence in Food Retail Environments for Health: Next Generation. Further information can be found at healthyfoodretail.com.
