COMMUNITY FOOD ENVIRONMENT
ENACT STRATEGY: Store Displays
Work with community food stores and supermarkets to adopt family-friendly policies limiting displays of unhealthy foods aimed at children
Children are bombarded with various sources of food advertising on a daily basis, and communities can counteract these messages by encouraging practices that promote healthy eating for children and youth. Food promotion is not limited to television. In fact, it is multi-faceted and includes print, radio, text messaging, celebrity endorsements, vending machines, and powerful branding. Community food stores and local supermarkets can adopt family-friendly policies to encourage children and youth to buy healthy foods. Family-friendly policies include eliminating impulse buys of unhealthy foods by removing candy and low nutrition items from checkout counters and by placing high-sugar breakfast cereals above children's eye level.
Characteristics of family-friendly supermarket policies:
- Checkout lanes without candy, gum, or other unhealthy foods;
- High-sugar breakfast cereal placed on shelves above children's eye level;
- Colorful displays emphasizing fruits and vegetables;
- Encouragement of programs such as '5-a-Day' or 'Eat a Rainbow';
- Recipes for quick and healthy meals available throughout the produce department;
- Sampling stations throughout the produce department of different fruits and vegetables.
Child Magazine Study
Child magazine conducted a five-month study of the family-friendly policies of 44 food retailers nationwide. The nation's 50 largest supermarket chains, as identified by the trade publication Progressive Grocer, were invited to participate in the study. 44 of these retailers completed a survey that was developed by an advisory board of food safety specialists, supermarket experts, and dieticians. After the surveys were graded, the entrants were rated and the top ten food retailers were acknowledged.
Guidelines for Responsible Food Marketing to Children
Center for Science in the Public Interest’s created these guidelines for the Nutrition Policy Project. The Guidelines provide criteria for marketing food to children in a manner that does not undermine children’s diets or harm their health.
Food Standards Agency Action Plan
This action plan address the way in which foods are currently promoted to children, and calls upon government, schools, industry, and others to work in unison with the Agency to encourage children to eat a more healthy diet.
Food Standards Agency
“The Food Standards Agency is an independent food safety watchdog set up by an Act of Parliament in 2000 to protect the public's health and consumer interests in relation to food.”
The Food Commission
“The Food Commission cares about the food we eat and is committed to ensuring good quality food for all. The Food Commission is a national non-profit organization campaigning for the right to safe, wholesome food.”
The Parents Jury
“The Parents Jury is an independent jury of parents which seeks to improve the quality of children's foods and drinks in the UK. The Jury is coordinated by The Food Commission, and independent watchdog which campaigns for healthier, safer, foods in the UK.”