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Background: Eating habits established during the preschool stage may last a lifetime, underlining the importance of choosing and purchasing healthy foods for proper nutrition. Aim: To assess the associations between place of food purchase and dietary intake and quality in Spanish preschool children. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was carried out within the framework of the SEguimiento del Niño para un Desarrollo Óptimo (SENDO) project. Data were collected using (1) the food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), from which dietary nutrient intake and diet quality (NOVA System classification and KIDMED index) were analysed, and (2) the baseline food habits questionnaire, which asked about the food purchase outlet. Data were analysed by logistic regression, considering the intra-group correlation between siblings and using the type of food purchase outlet as a grouping variable. Results: Children from families shopping in hypermarkets consumed fewer nutrients, less minimally processed foods, as well as less fruit and vegetables than children from families shopping in specialised shops. Conclusions: Food shopping in specialised outlets can improve the quality of children’s diets, promoting healthier habits such as greater adherence to the Mediterranean Diet and increasing the consumption of minimally processed foods. This has a positive impact on children’s long-term health.

Abstract Objective: In this paper, we examined whether there are inequalities in access to food retail (by type and healthiness) across local government areas (LGA) in Greater Melbourne and by LGA grouped based on their distance from the central business district and Growth Area designation. We also examined whether these inequalities persisted over time. Design: This is a secondary analysis of a repeated cross-sectional census of food outlets collected at four time points (2008, 2012, 2014 and 2016) across 31 LGA. Using Geographical Information Systems, we present a spatial analysis of food retail environments in Melbourne, Australia, at these four times over eight years. Setting: Greater Melbourne, Australia. Participants: 31 LGA in Greater Melbourne. Results: Findings show significant inequalities in access to healthy food retail persisting over time at the LGA level. Residents in lower density urban growth areas had the least access to healthy food retail. Unhealthy food retail was comparatively more accessible, with a temporal trend indicating increased accessibility over time in urban growth areas only. Conclusion: Accessibility to food outlets, particularly healthy food outlets and supermarkets, in Greater Melbourne is not equal. To identify and address health inequalities associated with rapid urban growth, further understanding of how people interact with the food environment needs to be explored.

Challenging economic and social conditions undermine community wellbeing across the UK. Using desk research and case studies, we examined how one business sector, UK supermarkets, support local communities through community-orientated support actions (COSAs) as part of Corporate Social Responsibility commitments. A theory of change was developed drawing on community wellbeing theory and community asset-based practices, providing a framework for data collection and development of detailed hypotheses for particular COSAs and resources invested. Findings present the results of analysis according to context-mechanism-outcome configurations representing scenarios for the mobilisation of: community colleague's time; donations of money/goods; and store space. Contextual enablers and barriers are also identified, with a view to supporting practice within and across business sectors as well as possible collaborations with state and voluntary sectors to enhance the contribution of COSAs to local communities in the future. Five areas of more ‘transformative’ actions which would require more concerted and collaborative efforts were identified: collaboration in the wider system; mobilising physical store assets; actions on household food security; economic interventions and empowering the local community; alongside possible system levers for doing so.

Disinfectants purchased from retail outlets form the cornerstone of infection control and prevention within the domestic household. The growing utilisation of the concept of "hospital-at-home" places greater emphasis on domestic disinfection by the householder in helping to prevent the acquisition of infections within the home. No reports or data exist that indicate how readable the information provided on disinfectants is, which would help householders use disinfectants optimally. The aim of this study was therefore to quantitatively examine the readability (Flesch Reading Ease; Flesch–Kinkaid Grade Level; text metrics) of consumer (public)-facing information (n = 108) of domestic household disinfectants sourced from (i) UK high street supermarket chains (n = 4) and (ii) disinfectant manufacturers (n = 6). The readability of all supermarket and manufacturer information (n = 108) gave a mean Flesch Reading Ease score of 51.7 (target ≥ 60) and a Flesch–Kinkaid Grade Level score of 8.1 (target ≤ 8), thereby failing to achieve readability reference target values. Authors preparing information on the domestic use of disinfectants should be aware of the value of quantitative readability metrics and online tools to help support their writing of such information in order to produce materials which are within target readability values, thereby further supporting health literacy in this population and disinfectant efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fruit and vegetable (F&V) consumption is associated with a reduced risk of developing obesity and chronic diseases: however, only one in 16 Australian adults consume F&Vs at the recommended two servings of fruit and five servings of vegetables per day. What and how much people eat is influenced by their social and physical environments. Supermarkets are a key setting influencing food purchases, and as such, they can shape consumption patterns of F&Vs. Implementing effective strategies to increase F&V intake is crucial. The objective of this research was to test the feasibility of covertly modifying shopper purchasing behaviour to purchase more F&Vs using a visual divider nudge message (prompts) covering the entire base of shopping trolleys. Placards provided a visual representation of the recommended proportion of the trolley base that should be allocated to fruits and vegetables (implied social norm). Applying an intervention research design, 30 out of ~100 trolleys were fitted with the placards and shopper purchases were measured by collecting receipts to measure the weight (kg), total spending and F&V specific spending (Australian dollars) for intervention versus control trolleys for one weekend day only. We also conducted a short intercept survey that was administered independently from the research study day on non‐trial shoppers. Shoppers who selected trolleys with the divider nudge placards (n = 102) purchased equal weight of F&Vs (Intervention: mean = 6.25 kg, SD = 5.60 kg, 95% CI = 5.14 kg, 7.35 kg, vs. Control: mean 6.03 kg, SD = 5.17 kg, 95% CI = 5.01 kg, 7.04 kg, p = 0.768) and spent equal amounts on F&Vs compared to shoppers in the control group (n = 102) (Intervention: mean = $41.46, SD = $36.68, 95% CI = $34.25, $48.66, vs. Control: mean $39.85, SD = $33.30, 95% CI = $33.34, $46.39, p = 0.744). There was no difference in the total spending between groups (Intervention: mean = $135.99, SD = $90.10, 95% CI = $118.29, $153.68, vs. Control: mean $155.68, SD = $96.46, 95% CI = $136.73, $174.63, p = 0.133). The divider nudge placard did not lead to any difference in shoppers' purchases of F&Vs. However, this study demonstrates the feasibility of testing a cheap, simple and easy supermarket nutrition intervention. Larger studies are required to elucidate and confirm these findings over the longer term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Scalable methods are required for population dietary monitoring. The Supermarket Transaction Records In Dietary Evaluation (STRIDE) study compares dietary estimates from supermarket transactions with an online FFQ. Design: Participants were recruited in four waves, accounting for seasonal dietary variation. Purchases were collected for 1 year during and 1 year prior to the study. Bland–Altman agreement and limits of agreement (LoA) were calculated for energy, sugar, fat, saturated fat, protein and sodium (absolute and relative). Setting: This study was partnered with a large UK retailer. Participants: Totally, 1788 participants from four UK regions were recruited from the retailer's loyalty card customer database, according to breadth and frequency of purchases. Six hundred and eighty-six participants were included for analysis. Results: The analysis sample were mostly female (72 %), with a mean age of 56 years (sd 13). The ratio of purchases to intakes varied depending on amounts purchased and consumed; purchases under-estimated intakes for smaller amounts on average, but over-estimated for larger amounts. For absolute measures, the LoA across households were wide, for example, for energy intake of 2000 kcal, purchases could under- or over-estimate intake by a factor of 5; values could be between 400 kcal and 10000 kcal. LoA for relative (energy-adjusted) estimates were smaller, for example, for 14 % of total energy from saturated fat, purchase estimates may be between 7 % and 27 %. Conclusions: Agreement between purchases and intake was highly variable, strongest for smaller loyal households and for relative values. For some customers, relative nutrient purchases are a reasonable proxy for dietary composition indicating utility in population-level dietary research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional foods (TFs) hold increasing global relevance due to their potential to address health and dietary challenges. This study explores TF consumption and patterns in a middle-income country's general population. Using 2017 Ecuadorian highlands survey data, we identified four consumption clusters with distinct TF preferences. Chi-square tests identified variations in independent variables across clusters. Poisson regression models highlighted city, age, education, and food habits as independent predictors of TF-based clusters. Our findings broaden TF importance to nutrition beyond specific populations. Understanding consumption patterns and socioeconomic links supports nuanced public health strategies to tackle contemporary health, social equity, and sustainability issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study set out to investigate consumers' preference of shopping place for tomatoes in Kumasi and the factors that influence their choice. A multi-stage sampling technique was adopted to identify 399 respondents. Descriptive Statistics, Perception Index and Multivariate Probit (MVP) models were used for analysis. The study revealed that the majority of the respondents were aware of the sale of quality, locally produced tomatoes in the supermarkets and were also knowledgeable about the quality of these locally produced tomatoes. Empirical results from the MVP model revealed that socioeconomic factors such as income level, proximity to shopping place, education and age of respondent have a significant influence on consumers' choice of shopping venue for locally produced tomatoes. Perception statements with respect to health, economic, nutrition and service benefits provided by the various shopping places were also found to have a significant influence on consumers' choices when shopping for tomatoes. The study recommends that supermarkets should restructure their marketing plans by creating more awareness of locally produced tomatoes for consumers to purchase from them. Moreover, policy makers and business operators or entrepreneurs should consider proximity to consumers before siting their retail outlet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The retail industry is constantly evolving, and supermarkets are facing increasing competition from online retailers. To remain competitive, supermarkets must enhance the customer experience and offer more personalized and interactive services. However, customers are often faced with the challenge of finding relevant product information in a timely and efficient manner. This can be frustrating and time-consuming and may even result in lost sales. Therefore, there is a need for a solution that can provide customers with quick and easy access to relevant product information, while also enhancing the overall shopping experience. The proposed solution, an AR-based customer experience enhancement system for supermarkets, aims to address this problem by providing customers with a more intuitive way to navigate the store, find products, and access detailed product information using their smartphones. This research paper presents a comprehensive study on the development and implementation of an augmented reality (AR) retail application. The application is designed to enhance the shopping experience by providing users with a range of features, including an AR product visualizer with product information and ratings, store layout navigation using beacon technology, product recommendation using a hybrid approach of collaborative filtering and content-based filtering, and crowd route simulation to optimize product placement. The mobile application is developed using React Native, a popular framework for cross-platform app development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Large supermarket chains produce weekly advertisements to promote foods and influence consumer purchases. The broad consumer reach of these ads presents an opportunity to promote foods that align with dietary recommendations. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the health quality of supermarkets’ weekly food promotions in a large region of Sweden with attention to more and less advantaged socioeconomic index areas. Methods Analysis of weekly advertisements from 122 individual stores, representing seven chains, was carried out in a large region of Sweden from 2–29 March in 2020. Food promotions were divided into categories according to the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations and World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe’s nutrient profile model, and defined as ‘most healthy’, ‘healthy’, ‘unhealthy’ and ‘most unhealthy’. A mean socioeconomic index was used to classify each store location to determine whether proportions of the ‘most unhealthy’ foods differed between more advantaged and more disadvantaged socioeconomic index areas. Results In total, 29,958 food items were analyzed. Two-thirds of promotions belonged to the food groups considered ‘most unhealthy’ and ‘unhealthy’. In the ‘most unhealthy’ food group ‘sugar-rich beverages and foods’ constituted approximately 23.0% of the promotions. Food promotions had 25% increased odds to be from the ‘most unhealthy’ group (odds ratio 1.25, confidence interval 1.17, 1.33) in more disadvantaged socioeconomic index areas. This association could be explained by the supermarket chain the stores belonged to. Conclusions Our findings indicate that Swedish supermarkets promote a large proportion of unhealthy foods as classified by the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations. We also observe that certain national supermarket chains tend to locate their stores in more disadvantaged areas and promote a greater proportion of unhealthy foods in their weekly advertisements compared to the more advantaged areas. There is an urgent need for supermarkets to shift promotions toward healthier food items.

AbstractThis paper systematically sheds light on the procurement systems, the selection criteria of Supermarket agrifood suppliers, and the impact of procurement systems on producers. A systematic search of literature from 2000 to 2022 was carried out. Fifty-two peer-reviewed research articles were identified from the Scopus database. The review findings revealed a positive impact on the income, productivity, and efficiency of the suppliers of supermarkets. Supermarkets used a combination of procurement systems (modernised and traditional) but primarily used the modernised method. Most studies reported that pricing and quality of food, the safety of produce, quantity, supply stability, delivery timeliness, and trust connections determine whether supermarkets buy from small or large producers. From the study, it is suggested that, to attract and maintain consumers in the underdeveloped areas, supermarket managers have to practice a just-in-time inventory management system where stocks will be kept low and also integrate vendor relationship management to reduce the cost of fresh fruits and vegetables sold at the Supermarket.

• A novel study on pressure exchanger for use in commercial refrigeration. • CFD based thermodynamic investigation. • Pressure lift correlation developed for thermodynamic study. • Performance superiority over ejector system analysed. • Significant energy savings over parallel compression system. This manuscript presents a method to thermodynamically model a pressure exchanger device. CFD-based model of a rotary energy recovery device used in desalination process is developed and validated with published experimental data with a maximum deviation of 5.19%. The dimensionality of the validated model was reduced to investigate the potential of the pressure exchanger device operating with CO 2 as the working fluid. Based on the data obtained from several numerical experiments, two correlations were developed, by means of non-linear regression analysis, for estimating the pressure lift generated by the device as a function of inlet velocity of high pressure fluid (0.5 – 3 m/s), rotor speed (500 – 3000 rpm), receiver pressure (25 – 40 bar) and gas-cooler pressure (90 – 120 bar). The correlations were found to be within acceptable error margin. The pressure lift generated by the pressure exchanger was found to be directly proportional to the inlet velocity of the high pressure fluid and inverse proportionality to the rotor speed. The developed correlations are used to evaluate the thermodynamic performance of a multi evaporator supermarket refrigeration system integrated with pressure exchanger to a conventional parallel compression system and a published multi-ejector system in the ambient temperature range of 30 to 40 °C. The pressure exchanger based system was found to outperform the parallel compression as well as the multi-ejector system and demonstrate significant energy savings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This article uses Sydney as a case study to examine the process of retail decentralization during Australia's postwar boom, showing how the form and function of capital city retailing changed completely in just a couple of decades. Suburban migration, the emergence of mobile car-driving consumers, socially constructed gender roles, the ongoing importance of public transport networks, planning regimes that sought to concentrate development in designated zones, and business growth strategies that deployed retail formats developed in America all played a role in shaping the form and function of Australian retailing during the postwar boom. In the process, the retail geographies of Australia's capital cities were transformed from highly centralized distribution structures dominated by the urban core, to decentralized landscapes of retail clusters featuring modern retail forms like the supermarket and shopping center that would come to define Australian retailing for the remainder of the century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way business is handled. Besides, people's purchasing habits have been impacted by new safety, social, and health restrictions. Thus, the purpose of this research was to analyze the COVID-19 pandemic impact in the relationships between the built environment, price level, and service quality on supermarket customers' satisfaction. For this purpose, a survey of 245 supermarket customers in southern Brazil was conducted at two different times: before and during the pandemic. The results point out that the price level, toilets, and location are essential to explain satisfaction at all times. Comfort presented importance before the pandemic, configuration, and service quality in pandemic times. These features are essential for supermarket management to prioritize efforts on attributes and dimensions relevant to customers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the development of food retail in Poland in comparison with global trends, characterised by the tendency to replace small traditional food stores with large-format stores, such as supermarkets and hypermarkets. This tendency has led to the emergence of retail and food deserts in numerous countries. This is a major problem from the perspective of both practitioners and researchers. In Poland, like in many other countries in the world, similar processes in retail development occur, therefore, researchers should pay attention to the emergence of retail deserts, the so-called ‘supermarket deserts,’ as well as some limitations in terms of access to supermarkets. Many territorial units in Poland, especially in eastern Poland, have no large-format stores. These areas constitute retail deserts and require further micro-scale research.

Abstract Background Food systems highly contribute to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and shifting towards more environmentally friendly diets is urgently needed. Enabling consumers to compare the environmental impact of food products at point-of-purchase with front-of-pack labelling could be a promising strategy to trigger more environmentally friendly food choices. This strategy remained to be tested. Methods The effect of a new traffic-light front-of-pack environmental label on food choices was tested in a 2-arm randomised controlled trial in a virtual reality supermarket. Participants (n = 132) chose food products to compose two main meals for an everyday meal scenario and for an environmentally friendly meal scenario with or without the label. The environmental label (ranging from A: green/lowest impact, to E: red/highest impact) was based on the Environmental Footprint (EF) single score calculation across food categories. The effect of the label on the environmental impact of food choices in each scenario was tested using linear mixed models. Results In the everyday meal scenario, the environmental impact of meals was lower in the label condition than in the no label condition (-0.17 ± 0.07 mPt/kg, p = 0.012). This reduction was observed at no nutritional, financial nor hedonic cost. The effectiveness of the label can be attributed to a change in the food categories chosen: less meat-based and more vegetarian meals were chosen with the label. In the environmentally friendly meal scenario, we demonstrated that the label provided new information to the participants as they were able to further reduce the environmental impact of their food choices with the label (-0.19 ± 0.07 mPt/kg, p = 0.005). Conclusions Implementing a front-of-pack environmental label on food products in real supermarkets could increase awareness of the environmental impact of food and contribute to drive more environmentally friendly food choices. Trial registration The study protocol was pre-registered prior to data collection at Clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04909372).

Background: Large supermarket chains produce weekly advertisements to promote foods and influence consumer purchases. The broad consumer reach of these ads presents an opportunity to promote foods that align with dietary recommendations. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the health quality of supermarkets' weekly food promotions in a large region of Sweden with attention to more and less advantaged socioeconomic index areas. Methods: Analysis of weekly advertisements from 122 individual stores, representing seven chains, was carried out in a large region of Sweden from 2–29 March in 2020. Food promotions were divided into categories according to the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations and World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe's nutrient profile model, and defined as 'most healthy', 'healthy', 'unhealthy' and 'most unhealthy'. A mean socioeconomic index was used to classify each store location to determine whether proportions of the 'most unhealthy' foods differed between more advantaged and more disadvantaged socioeconomic index areas. Results: In total, 29,958 food items were analyzed. Two-thirds of promotions belonged to the food groups considered 'most unhealthy' and 'unhealthy'. In the 'most unhealthy' food group 'sugar-rich beverages and foods' constituted approximately 23.0% of the promotions. Food promotions had 25% increased odds to be from the 'most unhealthy' group (odds ratio 1.25, confidence interval 1.17, 1.33) in more disadvantaged socioeconomic index areas. This association could be explained by the supermarket chain the stores belonged to. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that Swedish supermarkets promote a large proportion of unhealthy foods as classified by the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations. We also observe that certain national supermarket chains tend to locate their stores in more disadvantaged areas and promote a greater proportion of unhealthy foods in their weekly advertisements compared to the more advantaged areas. There is an urgent need for supermarkets to shift promotions toward healthier food items. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supermarket customers often encounter significant delays during checkout due to manual verification processes, wherein items are removed from the cart, handed over to the cashier, and individually scanned. To address this inefficiency, this paper introduces the design and development of an automatic payment system as part of a smart trolley solution aimed at expediting the verification process. Our goal is to develop an automatic moving trolley with smart payment devices to solve the problem. This system features a web-based payment application, which allows customers to scan their items using a barcode reader while shopping. After shopping, customers can review and confirm their items in the trolley and proceed to an exit room. Here, each item is individually verified using a camera and purchase finalization occurs. Our item verification method leverages object recognition using deep learning and similarity measurement with the structural similarity index (SSIM), which compares detected items to images stored in the supermarket's database. Our findings suggest the successful implementation of the proposed method and demonstrate that verification using the SSIM is a better alternative to traditional procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study intends to use the transaction data from a database of a supermarket to analyze customers' behaviors for the Chinese new year holiday empirically. The database of a supermarket branch store was analyzed to know whether or not customers behave statistically different based on purchase frequencies and money spent. The results show that both male and female customers increase their money spent on the preparation for the Chinese new year holiday. Customers with different age groups spend differently in general. Moreover, vegetables and fruits and seafood are the most purchased items on the preparation for the Chinese new year holiday, whereas fresh meat reaches the peak during the Chinese new year holiday. Understanding customer behaviors enables supermarket management to prepare the merchandize items earlier so as to meet various customer needs for the Chinese new year holiday. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In supermarkets in the Netherlands, well over 150 potato products are displayed. They can be distinguished by heating characteristics (boiled or fried), appearance (e.g., intact tuber pieces or formed hash browns), dehydrated (e.g., snacks and flour) and storage temperature (e.g., ambient and frozen). Fancier products (frozen formed versus chilled blanched) require more processes and operations in factories and are more expensive; consumers appreciate them because they offer more convenience. Heatmapping and hierarchical clustering were carried out twice within the domain of classes of products and their attributes. In a theoretical triangulation, consumers give high scores to low prices and a wide range of products, tastes and sizes where processors give these attributes a low score. Processes in factories include dehydration, heating, cooling and transformation. Examples of the latter are modification of starch to increase the range of applications in the food industry, forming of mash and shreds to produce croquettes and hash browns and expansion to make snacks. Processes require operations such as washing, cutting, blanching and packing. In total, between the arrival of the tubers at the gate and leaving as packed products to outlets, 66 operations are distinguished. French fries undergo some 30 operations and to produce flakes, 8 suffice. Heatmapping and hierarchical clustering differentiate a group of physical operations (with attributes associated with heating and cooling that require much energy) and mechanical ones (related to separation, grading, sorting for instance and size reduction of which shredding is an example that require little energy). The wide range of operations in large factories, reducing the moisture content and longtime storage at low temperatures, distinguishes potato from wheat that has fewer operations while increasing the moisture content in relatively small bakeries and the product, bread, stored for about one day in ambient conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the very beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, the act of loading shopping carts more than usual materialized as a sensible choice for most shoppers. Yet, stockpiling was constructed in parallel to the social pathologizing of so-called panic buying. Panic buyers emerged as supermarket "loose cannons" who seemed to create an "indecorous" spectacle out of what is usually considered an unremarkable act of everyday life. In this context, through the disjunctive comparison of experiences of grocery shopping in Italy and England, this paper looks at material cultures of preparedness and moral cosmologies of everyday consumption as they acquired social salience during the first few months of the Covid-19 pandemic (from March to June 2020). The rupture of everydayness allowed to appreciate the ritualistic aspects of grocery shopping and highlight their role in the temporal, social and moral ordering of everyday life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Baggers play a significant role in the customer service of supermarket stores. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of biomechanical risk factors on musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) experienced by baggers in the supermarket industry. METHODS: Forty baggers employed among five supermarket stores in the National Capital Region in the Philippines participated in the study. To examine the biomechanical risk factors of the baggers, this study used an observational approach as well as standard ergonomic tools like REBA and NIOSH. In addition, musculoskeletal discomfort was subjectively rated using the standardized Cornell Musculoskeletal Disorder Questionnaire at the end of the work shift. Furthermore, correlation and stepwise regression analysis were utilized to determine the association between biomechanical risk factors and MSD. RESULTS: Approximately 76% of study participants reported work-related MSD. The highest prevalence was in the foot area, followed by upper back, shoulder, lower leg, lower back, neck, and upper arm. Pearson correlation analysis had found a significant association between MSD and biomechanical risk factors. The highest correlation was observed between MSD and postural risk index (R2 = 0.863, p < 0.001), followed by weight lifted (R2 = 0.836, p < 0.001), task duration (R2 = 0.816, p < 0.001), task frequency (R2 = 0.756, p < 0.001), and lifting index (R2 = 0.661, p < 0.001). Furthermore, stepwise regression analysis revealed that the postural risk index (REBA) had the highest coefficient value (β=16.99), indicating the strongest positive effect to MSD. CONCLUSION: This present study revealed that grocery baggers are frequently exposed to risk factors such as awkward posture, lifting heavy loads, extended task durations, and prolonged postures during repetitive tasks increased their risk of developing MSDs. Hence, preventive measures are suggested to minimize the risk of MSD, such as the implementation of intervention through ergonomic solutions like awareness and training on safe lifting practices, adjustment of workstations to fit the stature of workers, introducing rest breaks in between work shifts, use of floor mats, and use of compression stockings in conjunction with safety shoes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Issue addressed: This study systematically reviewed Australian literature to determine if an association exists between geospatial exposure to food outlets and diet, health or weight status. Recommendations for future research are provided. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted in December 2021 using CINAHL Plus, PubMed and Web of Science databases. Data were extracted, as per the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses guidelines. Study quality was assessed using an eight‐item checklist. A descriptive synthesis of study characteristics and findings was carried out, stratified via study outcomes. Results: Of the 36 included articles, the majority were from Victoria (n = 19), involving adult participants (n = 30) and cross‐sectional in design (n = 27). Overall, associations were mainly null (nonsignificant) for diet (80%), weight status (75%) and health outcomes (90%). Significant findings were mixed with no positive trend with study quality. Conclusions: Six recommendations are suggested to address current knowledge gaps and limitations in the Australian evidence base: (1) Conduct research on different populations; (2) Employ robust study designs that can test the impact of change over time; (3) Improve the accuracy of food outlet data sources; (4) Improve food outlet geospatial exposure measures; (5) Improve measurement of outcome variables; and (6) Incorporate theoretical models into study design and data analysis. So what?: Improving the quality and consistency of research will be critical to informing locally relevant policy. Despite the present limitations in the evidence base, it is reasonable to assume that decisions to purchase and consume food are driven by availability and access. Thus, policy and planning aimed at improving the overall "healthiness" of the community food environment by increasing access to healthy food outlets is warranted to ensure that healthy options are easier choice for all. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computer simulations used to study food purchasing behavior can be separated into low immersion virtual environments (LIVE), which use personal computers and standard monitors to display a scene, and high immersion virtual environments (HIVE) which use virtual reality technology such as head-mounted displays to display a scene. These methods may differ in their ability to create feelings of presence or cybersickness that would influence the usefulness of these approaches. In this present study, thirty-one adults experienced a virtual supermarket or fast-food restaurant using a LIVE system or a HIVE system. Feelings of presence and cybersickness were measured using questionnaires or physiological responses (heart rate and electrodermal activity). The participants were also asked to rate their ability to complete the set task. The results of this study indicate that participants reported a higher sense of presence in the HIVE scenes as compared to the LIVE scenes (p < 0.05). The participant’s heart rate and electrodermal activity were significantly higher in the HIVE scene treatment when compared to the LIVE scene (p < 0.05). There was no difference in the participant’s ability to complete tasks in the different scenes. In addition, feelings of cybersickness were not different between the HIVE and LIVE scenes.

Fruit and vegetable (F&V) consumption is associated with a reduced risk of developing obesity and chronic diseases: however, only one in twenty Australian adults consume F&Vs at the recommended two servings of fruit and five servings of vegetables per day. What and how much people eat is influenced by their social and physical environments. Supermarkets are a key setting influencing food purchases, and as such, they can shape consumption patterns of F&Vs. Implementing effective strategies to increase F&V intake is crucial. The objective of this research was to test if shopper purchasing behaviour can be modified to purchase more F&Vs using social norm nudge messages (prompts) placed in shopping trolleys. Placards giving the message that the majority of shoppers purchased F&Vs at each shop were placed in shopping trolleys. Applying an intervention research design, 30 out of ~100 trolleys were fitted with the placards and shopper purchases were measured by collecting receipts to measure the quantity (kg), total and F&V spending (Australian dollars) for intervention versus control trolleys. We also conducted a short intercept survey that was administered independently from the research study day. Shoppers who selected trolleys with the social norm nudge placards (n = 109) purchased 1.25 kg more F&Vs (Intervention: mean = 5.45 kg, SD = 4.23 kg, 95% CI 4.65 kg, 6.26 kg vs. Control: mean 4.19 kg, SD = 3.75 kg, 95% CI 3.48 kg, 4.90 kg, p = 0.020, Cohen's d = 0.32) and spent an extra $9.10 more on F&Vs compared to shoppers in the control group (n = 109; Intervention: mean = $36.20, SD = $26.30, 95% CI = $31.24, $41.26 vs. Control: mean $27.10, SD = $24.00, 95% CI = $22.50, $31.67, p = 0.008, Cohen's d = 0.36). The social norm nudge placard shows promise in modifying shoppers' purchases to buy more F&Vs. Larger studies are required to elucidate and confirm these findings over the longer term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Food adulteration is an increasingly recognized global public health problem. In low- and middle-income countries like Bangladesh, adulteration is difficult to detect and respond to. We explored customers' perceptions on food adulteration, perception of risk and connections between information, participant characteristics and patterns of adulterated food concerns that impact risk perception in urban Bangladesh. Methods: A formative study was conducted in Dhaka, between June and August 2015 at a supermarket and a wet market. We explored community awareness and response to chemical contaminants (adulterants) among participants from a range of socio-economic backgrounds. The team conducted 38 in-depth interviews with 12 customers and 4 staff from a supermarket, and 12 customers and 10 vendors from a wet market. Participants were selected purposively. Audio recorded data were coded based on thematic content and analyzed manually. Results: We asked participants how common foods were likely adulterated, and most gave figures of 70% or more. They reported that foods were adulterated with chemicals or artificial colors, especially fish, milk, and vegetables. The supermarket more commonly sold packaged foods with nutritional and expiry information on the label; and offered convenience in terms of building size, layout, and cleanliness. All customers from the wet market thought that foods were cheaper and fresher than from supermarkets. Supermarket customers expressed greater concern about adulterated foods than wet market customers. Most participants from both markets reported that food adulteration is invisible, adulterated foods cannot be avoided, and have long-term negative health impacts including cancer, diabetes, paralysis, heart attack, and others. Nearly half of customers from both markets were concerned about the poor nutritional value of adulterated food. Participants from both settings expressed the need for access to credible information about adulteration to help choose safe foods. The majority expressed the need for government action against those who are responsible for adulteration. Conclusions: Food adulteration was considered a major health threat. The government could act on food adulteration prevention if provided credible population-based data on disease burden, a model food sampling and testing protocol, a model for inspections, organizational strengthening and training, example social and behavioral change communications with estimated costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Food systems highly contribute to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and shifting towards more environmentally friendly diets is urgently needed. Enabling consumers to compare the environmental impact of food products at point-of-purchase with front-of-pack labelling could be a promising strategy to trigger more environmentally friendly food choices. This strategy remained to be tested. Methods: The effect of a new traffic-light front-of-pack environmental label on food choices was tested in a 2-arm randomised controlled trial in a virtual reality supermarket. Participants (n = 132) chose food products to compose two main meals for an everyday meal scenario and for an environmentally friendly meal scenario with or without the label. The environmental label (ranging from A: green/lowest impact, to E: red/highest impact) was based on the Environmental Footprint (EF) single score calculation across food categories. The effect of the label on the environmental impact of food choices in each scenario was tested using linear mixed models. Results: In the everyday meal scenario, the environmental impact of meals was lower in the label condition than in the no label condition (-0.17 ± 0.07 mPt/kg, p = 0.012). This reduction was observed at no nutritional, financial nor hedonic cost. The effectiveness of the label can be attributed to a change in the food categories chosen: less meat-based and more vegetarian meals were chosen with the label. In the environmentally friendly meal scenario, we demonstrated that the label provided new information to the participants as they were able to further reduce the environmental impact of their food choices with the label (-0.19 ± 0.07 mPt/kg, p = 0.005). Conclusions: Implementing a front-of-pack environmental label on food products in real supermarkets could increase awareness of the environmental impact of food and contribute to drive more environmentally friendly food choices. Trial registration: The study protocol was pre-registered prior to data collection at Clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04909372). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Customer satisfaction depends on the availability of different varieties of fruits and vegetables in a supermarket store as well as the quality of this supermarket store for fruits and vegetables. The store may contain different variety of fruits and vegetables in a utopian environment. Apart from this, there are several quality parameters of a fruits and vegetable store. The quality evaluation of fruits and vegetable stores located in a supermarket is a big challenge for managerial personnel. Here, a quality evaluation framework is proposed for the fruits and vegetable store. The committee of experts identifies and finalizes the quality evaluation parameters through a brainstorming session. Fuzzy AHP is used to calculate the weights of evaluation parameters. A fuzzy TOPSIS generally ranks for the alternative stores. An improved fuzzy TOPSIS, which is named fuzzy k-TOPSIS, is proposed here to evaluate the quality of fruits and vegetable stores located in a supermarket. The fuzzy k- TOPSIS will provide rank as well as classification of the alternatives. A numerical example is demonstrated for a better understanding of the proposed framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper describes sources of resilience in Zimbabwe's supermarket value chains and the strategies for building resilience. Although Zimbabwe has witnessed a steady growth in the number of supermarkets, that growth has been disrupted by the volatile operating environment. Data was collected from an online survey of supermarket managers, websites and secondary sources. The study found that franchising, extensive branch networks, mergers and acquisitions and multiple store formats have provided major supermarkets such as OK, TM/Pick n Pay and Spar with an adaptive capacity that has enabled them to operate for several decades in Zimbabwe's volatile food retail sector. These findings have implications for improving government policy making and supermarket managers' knowledge on developing resilient food systems under a turbulent macroeconomic environment. Further, the study provides key insights on strategies that are indispensable for building the necessary resilience ingredients required by supermarkets to absorb shocks and recover in a timely way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to monitor the presence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that cause the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), particularly on certain foods and surfaces that come in contact with food in district supermarkets in Ankara, Türkiye, where the highest number of COVID-19 cases was reported based on data from the Ministry of Health. For this purpose, a total of 172 samples were taken from 5 supermarkets in 4 districts in Ankara. RNA was extracted from the samples and RdRp gene-targeting reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) assays were used to determine the presence of SARS-CoV-2. The results showed that all the supermarket samples collected during the period when there was a high number of COVID-19 cases in the district did not have SARS-CoV-2 except for one sample that was taken from a supermarket where COVID-19 had been detected among the staff. In this supermarket, COVID-19 RNA was detected with a high number of copies of 5 000, using Real-Time RT-PCR assay in pooled swab samples taken from salt shakers, pepper shakers, red pepper shakers, and vinegar and oil bottles in the social area that the staff used for lunchbreaks and other breaks. This finding shows that it is of great importance for public health agencies to monitor COVID-19 cases in food businesses in regions with a high number of cases and to take samples from these businesses at certain intervals, as a form of "early warning system." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is aimed to rank the installation forms in terms of the entrance area in terms of which actions should be at the forefront in the organization of the space, and to examine them in order of importance, to analyze and report on the selected shopping centers comparatively. Known as a temporal and perceptual concept that connects the sequences of spaces or different indoor and outdoor environments, circulation is one of the broad and very important issues in architecture and has become a design discipline that must be done within the framework of certain standards. In looking at the circulation structure framework, the way it is perceived, its main components, forms, horizontal and vertical planes and phases during use all play an important role in architecture. In this research, the relationship and interaction with the user, functionality requirements and accessibility levels of selected shopping malls in terms of circulation integration, for example; the relationship of the orientation areas from the main entrance of the shopping mall to the supermarket entrances with circulation or the parking area and the circulation line of the users will be. In this research, it is aimed to review the literature, examine selected venues (Kanyon Mall, Zorlu Center Mall) in the context of the principles of the circulation layouts, observe the clarity and perceptibility levels of the venue, document it by taking photographs from the selected places, and examine the examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]