The healthy ones have less space and are less visible, according to an IECS investigation carried out in Buenos Aires establishments.
Florence Cunzolo
07/22/2021 6:01 AM
Clarín.com
Good Life
Updated 07/22/2021 6:01 AM
They occupy more space in the gondolas, they are more visible and "within reach", but they are precisely those that
should not be part of the daily diet
because their consumption is associated with multiple health problems.
A study carried out in Buenos Aires supermarkets showed that unhealthy foods occupy
4 times more space
in the gondolas than healthy ones.
The survey was conducted by researchers at the Institute of Clinical Effectiveness and Health Policy
(IECS) in 32 establishments in the City of Buenos Aires during 2019. Their findings are particularly relevant in the current context, which is
within walking distance
of sanctioned
Law Promotion of Healthy Eating, which requires the implementation of frontal food labeling.
The norm, which already has half approval from Senators and a ruling to be dealt with by Deputies establishes, among other points, that packaged foods and beverages containing
fat, sodium, sugars and calories
in excess display black seals of warning that allow consumers to make informed decisions quickly and easily.
Those products that, if the law is approved, will exhibit one or more black octagons with stamps with the legend
"EXCESS IN"
today occupy four times more space in supermarket shelves than healthy ones, according to the work of the IECS, an academic institution affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Buenos Aires.
These are sweet cookies, sweets, salty snacks such as French fries or corn products, sugary drinks, among others that, according to the Dietary Guidelines for the Argentine Population (GAPA), should be
optional consumption
because their intake in excess damages health , by increasing the risk of overweight, obesity, diabetes, hypertension, among other diseases.
Obesogenic environment
"To buy healthy foods, it is necessary that these are available at the points of sale
at a price that we can pay,
" explains nutritionist Natalia Elorriaga, master in Clinical Effectiveness, researcher at the IECS and CONICET, doctor from the Faculty of Medicine of the UBA and one of the authors of the work.
"If in these points of sale - he adds - there is also a greater supply of unhealthy foods, which are located in
highly visible spaces
or within the reach of children, with promotions and discounts, our decisions may be influenced by the environment" , which is currently obesogenic.
The manual for the implementation of GAPA states in its introduction that "the food environment is characterized by a high supply and accessibility of foods with
high energy density and low nutritional quality
with a high content of salt, fats and / or sugars", which replaced the consumption of natural foods such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains that provide fiber, vitamins and minerals among other nutrients beneficial to health.
For the investigation, Elorriaga and his team classified the foods taking GAPA into account.
Among the healthy ones included those that the guidelines advise to consume daily: fruits and vegetables (fresh and / or frozen), whole grains without added sugar, dried legumes, nuts without added salt, and water.
Ultra-processed foods were included in the unhealthy group: sweet cookies, sweets, salty snacks, and sugary drinks.
Healthy foods tend to be farther from the boxes.
Photo German García Adrasti.
Measure matters
Based on an international protocol, the researchers measured the linear meters of gondolas that supermarkets (both the so-called "Chinese" and the chain supermarkets) allocated to both groups and calculated the proportion occupied by the "healthy" ones.
The average result was
disappointing
, they say from the IECS: the space occupied by the unhealthy evaluated was four times greater.
And the relationship was more unfavorable in the communes with the lowest income level of the city.
In addition, when they analyzed the disposition of the products, they found that the proportion of the "healthy ones"
decreased as the visibility
in the gondolas increased.
What does it mean?
That although a comparable amount of food from both groups could be found on shelves at the back, near the boxes or at the head of the gondolas facing them, the healthiest could represent
only 1% of the total
.
"In fact, in
97% of the
surveyed
premises
there was at least one unhealthy food in the box sector, while only in 28% of the premises there was at least one healthy food," they stand out from the IECS.
Unfavorable relationship
Could these findings obtained in the City be representative of what happens in supermarkets in the country?
"To our knowledge, there are no similar studies in other cities of our country that allow generalization, but studies in other countries have also generally shown an
unfavorable relationship
and a greater supply of unhealthy products in the sectors of greater visibility within supermarkets and convenience stores, "Elorriaga replied to
Clarín
.
"Perhaps," he added, "within the country it is possible to think of some differences in cities where there are regulations that limit the supply of unhealthy foods in the vicinity of the boxes."
Río Negro, La Pampa and Neuquén have current regulations in this regard.
In Argentina, more than 60% of adults and 40% of children and adolescents are above their healthy weight.
Obesity is a priority public health problem that grows associated with a sedentary lifestyle and the advancement of ultra-processed foods in the diet.
A recent report by the Pan American Health Organization warns of the "worrying progress" of these products in the region, which in Argentina already provide 500 kilocalories per day,
more than a quarter of the recommended daily energy
: more than half comes from sugary crackers and sodas.
"Many of the purchase decisions are made in the food outlets in a very short period of time; marketing, promotions and discounts,
the greater visibility of certain products can influence,
" said Elorriaga.
The high availability of ultra-processed foods facilitates their consumption.
In brochures also
The work also showed that
more than half
of the products promoted in supermarket brochures belonged to the group of optional consumption (unhealthy) and alcoholic beverages.
How can front labeling help?
According to Elorriaga, "some products with an excess of critical nutrients are not easily identified as unhealthy products", therefore, the front label "will be a
fundamental tool
from the point of view of the right to information and health in different areas, including food venues ".
The work of the IECS, which is part of a broader project entitled: "Prices, affordability and accessibility of food: Argentine collaborative study", also involved the Inter-American Heart Foundation (FIC) and the Center for Studies of the Society and the State (CEDES).
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