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The White House National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health (National Strategy) encourages actions across government and society to promote nutrition security. Nutrition security includes adequate food, diet quality, and equity, and food retail settings can promote these major concepts. Of all National Strategy whole-of-society calls to action, food retailers can contribute to 15 calls as key actors. However, there is currently no standardized monitoring tool to track food retailers' commitments and actions toward the National Strategy to promote nutrition security. The Business Impact Assessment-Obesity and population-level nutrition (BIA-Obesity), a tool originally developed for corporate accountability monitoring, can be tailored for the National Strategy and nutrition security, given its standardized indicators and process to assess food company policies and commitments across six domains. We discuss the fit of the BIA-Obesity indicators for tracking food retailers' commitments and actions across four pillars of the National Strategy. Existing indicators are appropriate to monitor components of Pillar 1: Improve Food Access and Affordability ; Pillar 2: Integrate Nutrition and Health ; Pillar 3: Empower All Consumers to Make and Have Access to Healthy Choices ; and Pillar 5: Enhance Nutrition and Food Security Research. We suggest expanding current indicators to include equity, local foods, the digital food environment, and food waste reduction to improve alignment of the BIA-Obesity with the National Strategy. Application of the BIA-Obesity as an existing tool can facilitate data cohesion and more rapid assessment of the food retailer landscape to mutually meet nutrition security goals by 2030. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of imported soybean/soybean meal is criticized in the context of the sustainability discussion in Germany. Imported soybean is often associated with deforestation and genetic modification, which is largely viewed critically by consumers. This study aims to forecast changes in future demand for imported soybean/soybean meal and its possible substitutes in the German livestock industry. The two-round Delphi method was used in the study by sending questionnaires to 28 experts from four groups: food retailers, livestock associations, animal nutrition manufacturers and research institutes. Our main result is that the total use of soybeans in German livestock farming will decrease from almost 4 million tons of soybean equivalents in 2018/19 to approximately 3.4 million tons by 2030/31. In contrast, the share of non-GM soybean is forecast to increase from 26 to 53%. Factors that influence the increased use of non-GM protein feeds most are "specifications from downstream processors" and "demand from the feed industry." Experts forecast that about 36% of imported soybean/soybean meal (from non-EU countries) for German livestock farming could be replaced by protein feed produced in the EU. Rapeseed was considered to have a particularly high potential for production in the EU, followed by soybean and sunflower. Experts considered the factors: "requirements by the food retailers," "reasonable price," "political regulation" and "better profitability for the producer" as the most influential for extended use of regional protein feeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most food access studies focus on large cities, examine traditional grocery stores, and only consider operational food outlets. This siloed approach exposes a gap in food access literature. Therefore, as a part of our assessment of Flint's food landscape, we examined closed food outlets in the city and surrounding townships. We investigated the relationship between the racial composition of census tracts and the number and type of defunct food outlets identified. We used Data Axle to collect and verify data on open and closed food outlets between September 2020 and December 2021. We made a final verification of the food outlet closures in June 2022. We used ArcGIS 10.8.1 and SPSS Version 28 to map and analyze the data. We used negative binomial regression models to determine differences in the likelihood of having an additional closed food outlet in census tracts with low and high percentages of Black residents. We also investigated the relationship between a census tract's median income and the likelihood of having an additional closed food outlet. There were 173 closed food outlets; 81 were in Flint, and 92 were in surrounding townships. The most frequently closed food outlets were restaurants; they accounted for 45.1% of the closures. The mean number of closed food venues in census tracts where less than 40% of the residents were Black was 1.5. The mean was similar in census tracts where 40% or more of the residents were Black; it was 1.6. This difference was not significant. However, the median income of a census tract was a significant predictor of the likelihood of having an additional closed food outlet. Every one-thousand-dollar increase in median income resulted in a 2% less likelihood of having an additional closed food outlet. The results of this study show that there is more to the food landscape of a city than its operational food outlets. Focusing exclusively on active food outlets does not accurately depict a city's food infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of big data by large food retailers is increasing their bargaining power against the agri-food cooperative sector. The aim of this study was to determine the social media behaviour of food retailers in Spain and the UK, and to identify significant changes pre- and post-COVID-19 pandemic. The study analysed Twitter data collected from 16 food retailers; a total of 102,200 valid tweets were extracted from their official Twitter accounts. A term frequency analysis and a social network analysis of food retailers' Twitter behaviour were carried out. The results obtained show differences for both UK and Spanish retailers before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. For agri-food cooperatives with little bargaining power in the supply chain of fresh produce, data analysis is a key factor in improving their competitive positioning. These findings should be of value to data scientists as well as managers responsible for forming strategies in agri-food firms that have large food retailers as clients. Finally, the study also confirms that, for agri-food cooperatives, analysing tweet content is a cheap and useful tool for understanding customer behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Tobacco use prevalence is higher in rural compared to urban settings, possibly due to differences in tobacco availability, including the option to purchase food and other essential items in stores that do not sell tobacco (tobacco‐free food retailers). The goal of this research is to determine whether tobacco‐free food retailer availability varies by urbanicity/rurality. Methods: Using the 2017 National Establishment Time‐Series database, we identified food retailers across all census tracts containing food retailers in the United States (n = 66,053). We used multivariable logistic and linear regression models to test whether tobacco‐free food retailer availability varied across 4‐levels of census tract urbanicity/rurality (urban, suburban, large town, and small town/rural) for 2 outcomes: (1) the presence of at least 1 tobacco‐free food retailer and (2) the percent of all food retailers that were tobacco‐free. Findings: Compared to urban core census tracts, suburban census tracts had a lower odds (aOR = 0.77, 95% CI = 0.73, 0.81) of having at least 1 tobacco‐free food retailer, while small town/rural census tracts had greater odds (aOR = 1.23, 95% CI = 1.15, 1.32). Suburban census tracts (B = –2.29, P <.001) and large town census tracts (B = –1.90, P <.001) also had a lower percentage of tobacco‐free food retailers compared to urban census tracts. Conclusions: Compared to urban cores, tobacco‐free food retailers were less prevalent in suburban and large town areas, though similarly or slightly more available in rural areas. Future research should assess whether these differences depend on varying store types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers an exploratory review of how some of the major US and European food retailers have publicly addressed animal welfare. The findings reveal that six interlinked themes, namely, strategic corporate commitment, animal welfare as good business policy, a focus on supply chains, policies on specific categories of animals and animal products, antibiotics, and auditing, illustrated the food retailers’ approach to animal welfare. The authors raise a range of issues about the retailers’ approach to animal welfare, including the aspirational nature of their commitments, the emphasis on regular audits, the role of external assurance in the reporting process, pressure from animal welfare campaigns, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper offers an accessible review how some of the major US and European food retailers have publicly addressed the issue of animal welfare.

Background and objectivesIncreasing the availability of healthy foods within food retail outlets can improve consumers' food environments. Such actions or inactions by food retailers may affect people's food purchasing and consumption behavior. This study explored Accra-based food retailers' perceptions and appreciation of “healthiness of food” as a concept. It also documented measures that food retailers adopt to encourage healthy food choices.MethodsIn-person semi-structured interviews were conducted with owners and managers of Accra-based supermarkets (n = 7) and corner stores (n = 13) in March 2021. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, coded, and analyzed thematically.ResultsThe retailers' understanding of healthy food, or lack thereof, is exemplified by such expressions as “health, absence of disease, longevity, balanced diet, diversity, sanitation, and certification.” A handful of retailers described what they sell as “products that meet consumer needs,” “harmless,” or “generally good.” Very few retailers described the food they sell as “junk,” high in sugar, fat, and salt, or energy-dense but nutrient poor foods, or as food that could pose some health risk to consumers. However, some retailers indicated that they advise their customers against the overconsumption of some foods.ConclusionOverall, Accra-based retailers have a fair understanding of what constitutes healthy food – exhibiting limited knowledge of the connection between very salty, very sugary, and very fatty foods and health outcomes. Retailers in Accra require interventions that improve their food, health, and nutrition literacy. Improving retailers' food and nutrition literacy may improve the availability of healthier options in food retail outlets in Accra.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the community food environment, food deserts and food swamps using several methods in Belo Horizonte City, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Information on the community food environment was obtained from a comprehensive dataset collected from two secondary sources in the city. Analysis units comprised census tracts and buffers traced from the centroid of census tracts. Per-capita income was used as an explanatory variable. Five different methods, including one developed in Brazil, were used to identify and evaluate food deserts and food swamps throughout the city. The method from Brazil (which employs density of healthy establishments per 10,000 inhabitants) classified 37.7% of census tracts as food deserts. Food deserts were more frequent in the lowest-income tracts. Other methods gave food deserts lower values, and one method 2 (census tract) was similar to that found by the Brazilian method. The highest percentages of census tracts classified as food swamps were obtained using method 2 (mRFEI- percent healthy establishments, with 800 m buffer), with 66.6%, and using method 5 (density of outlets selling ultra-processed foods), with 58.5%. Food swamps were also found to be more frequent in the lowest-income tracts, especially when method 4 (count of unhealthy establishments) was applied. We conclude that most parts of Belo Horizonte provide easy physical access to retailers selling predominantly ultra-processed foods. Food deserts and food swamps were widely found, often in the same areas. The metric of food deserts and food swamps developed in Brazil was the most appropriate, because it considered specificities of the local food environment. In addition, it is necessary to improve existing food desert and wetland metrics. For example, include the income variable in these calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has generated increased interest in potential transmission routes. In food retail settings, transmission from infected customers and workers and customers through surfaces has been deemed plausible. However, limited information exists on the presence and survival of SARS-CoV-2 on surfaces, particularly outside laboratory settings. Therefore, the purpose of this project was to assess the presence of the virus at commonly found surfaces at food retail stores and the potential role that these spaces play in virus transmission.Samples (n=957) were collected twice a week for a month in food-retail stores within Ontario, Canada. High-touch surfaces were identified and surveyed in 4 zones within the store (payment stations, deli counters, refrigerated food section and carts and baskets). The samples were analyzed using a molecular method, i.e., reverse transcriptase quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR).Regardless of the store's location, the sampling day or time, the location of the surface within the store or the surface material, all samples tested negative for SARS-CoV-2. These results suggest that the risk of exposure from contaminated high-touch surfaces within a food retailer store is low if preventive measures and recommended sanitizing routines are maintained.

Food and activity factors may have an impact on weight in the general population, but little is known about how this affects postbariatric surgery weight loss. To understand the impact of environmental food and activity factors on weight loss after bariatric surgery. A multidisciplinary integrated health system with an accredited bariatric surgery program. An institutional review board–approved retrospective review of patients who underwent bariatric surgery from 2001–2018 was completed. Food security, food retailers, and activity factors associated with postoperative percentage of total body weight loss (TBWL) at short-term (1–2 yr), medium-term (3–5 yr), and long-term (≥6 yr) follow-up were evaluated. Overall, 1673 patients were included; 90% experienced ≥20% TBWL in the short term and 65% in the long term. No differences in mean TBWL were observed for food deserts or areas with high versus low food insecurity. Mean TBWL was significantly different for low versus high healthy food density (32.5% versus 33.4%, P =.024) and low versus high fitness facility density (32.6% versus 33.4%, P =.048) at short-term follow-up. Increased mean TBWL was observed for counties with more versus less exercise opportunities at short and medium-term follow-up (33.4% versus 32.5%, P =.025; 31.2% versus 29.7%, P =.019). Patients experienced significant TBWL after bariatric surgery. Living in a food desert or area with high food insecurity did not significantly impact mean TBWL. Healthy food density, fitness facility density, and exercise opportunities had a short- to medium-term impact on TBWL. These data can be used to support patients to maximize the benefits of bariatric surgery. • Environmental food and activity factors may impact postoperative weight loss. • Mean total weight loss (TWL) was similar in areas with high vs. low food insecurity. • Healthy food density had a short-term impact on TWL. • Fitness facility density had a short and medium-term impact TWL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antimicrobial resistance occurs when microorganisms survive exposure and proliferate in the presence of therapeutic levels of antimicrobial drugs. Because antimicrobial resistance is increasing, it is vital to encourage consumers to change and adopt smarter antibiotic behaviour. Despite World Health Organization's efforts to combat antibiotic resistance and their emphasis on the importance of public involvement, the role of consumers has been overlooked. The manifold responsibility for antibiotic resistance extends across different actors, including food retailers and consumers. Given this shared responsibility, a blame game arises and no action occurs. To overcome this status quo situation, we draw attention to the potential role of individual responsibility and social pressure to encourage consumers to adopt smart antibiotic behaviour but also to empower them. Conditions must be put in place to enable consumers' critical evaluation of the health-related and ethical aspects of their food choices. Such behaviour can be facilitated using digital innovations to support informed choices, in store and online.

Purpose: To describe the patterns of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) consumption in the Netherlands; to test if exposure to the food environment is associated with UPFs consumption; and if this association differed across educational levels and neighbourhood urbanisation. Methods: Cross-sectional study using 2015-data of 8104 older adults from the Dutch EPIC cohort. Proportion of UPFs consumption was calculated from a validated food-frequency questionnaire. Exposure to the food environment was defined as proximity and availability of supermarkets, fast-food restaurants, full-service restaurants, convenience stores, candy stores and cafés. Consumption of UPFs was expressed as both percentage of total grams and total kilocalories. Results: The study population was aged 70(± 10 SD) years and 80.5% was female. Average UPFs consumption was 17.8% of total food intake in grams and 37% of total energy intake. Those who consumed greater amounts of UPFs had a poorer overall diet quality. Adjusted linear regression models showed that closer proximity and larger availability to any type of food retailer was associated with lower UPFs consumption (both in grams and kilocalories). Somewhat stronger significant associations were found for proximity to restaurants (β = − 1.6%, 95% confidence interval (CI) = − 2.6; − 0.6), and supermarkets (β = − 2.2%, 95%CI = − 3.3; − 1.1); i.e., Individuals living within 500 m from the closest supermarket, as compared to 1500 m, had 2.6% less calories from UPFs. No differences were found on analyses stratified for urbanisation and education. Conclusions: Using various measures of exposure to the food environment, we found that exposure to restaurants and supermarkets was associated with somewhat lower consumption of UPFs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Modern food retail stores have started to penetrate the Romanian market over 20 years ago and since then they have gained more than half of the total market share. More than 10 international brands have opened over 2500 stores creating a competitive environment where each company needs to develop new business strategies in order to achieve positive financial results. In order to gain new clients supermarkets are opening new stores every year, but in order to keep their actual clients they need to improve the customer experience. Introducing fidelity cards, loyalty points, instant awards, tasting sessions or moving in the online area are some of the actions taken by supermarkets in Romania, but none of them have yet developed a recommendation system that can propose personalized offers. This article describes a hybrid algorithmic model based on data mining and collaborative filtering techniques. The goal of the model is to recommend date specific products, similar products and cross-shopping cart products that fulfill the custom needs of each consumer. So at the end of the shopping session each client will receive an offer that includes specific products and customized discounts to his buying behavior. As already sustained by other markets, personalized offers will improve the customer experience and will increase the sales of supermarkets.

Objective - This paper sets out to assess perceptions of food retailers regarding climate change, greenhouse gas emission and sustainability in the Nelson Mandela Bay region of South Africa. The primary objective of this study is to investigate the food retailers' greenhouse gas emissions strategies. Climate change catastrophic potential and the harmful effect that it has had on the community and businesses has led to it being given attention from social media and in literature. Methodology/Technique - This paper covered a literature review that provided the theoretical framework. The empirical study that was carried out included self-administered questionnaires which were distributed to 120 food retailers who were selected from the population using convenience sampling. Findings - The results revealed that most of the respondents were neutral towards the impact of operational factors regarding GHG emission in the food retail sector. Novelty - There is limited research that has been conducted among food retailers from the designated population. The study provided guidelines that will be of assistance to food retailers when dealing with climate change and greenhouse gas emissions impact in the food retail sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers an exploratory review of how the UK's leading food retailers have publicly addressed animal welfare. The findings reveal that six interlinked themes, namely, strategic corporate commitment, animal welfare as good business policy, a focus on supply chains, policies on specific categories of animals and animal products, antibiotics, and auditing, illustrated the food retailers' approach to animal welfare. The authors raise a range of issues about the companies approach to animal welfare, including the aspirational nature of their commitments, the emphasis on regular audits, the role of external assurance in the reporting process, animal welfare pressure groups, and the impact of COVID-19. The paper offers an accessible review how some of the UK's leading food retailers have publicly addressed the issue of animal welfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine whether residence in a US Department of Agriculture-designated food desert is associated with perceived access to healthy foods, grocery shopping behaviours, diet and BMI among a national sample of primary food shoppers.Design: Data for the present study came from a self-administered cross-sectional survey administered in 2015. Residential addresses of respondents were geocoded to determine whether their census tract of residence was a designated food desert or not. Inverse probability of treatment-weighted regression was used to assess whether residence in a food desert was associated with dependent variables of interest.Setting: USA.Participants: Of 4942 adult survey respondents, residential addresses of 75·0 % (n 3705) primary food shoppers were included in the analysis.Results: Residence in a food desert (11·1 %, n 411) was not significantly associated with perceived access to healthy foods, most grocery shopping behaviours or dietary behaviour, but was significantly associated with primarily shopping at a superstore or supercentre v. a large grocery store (OR = 1·32; 95 % CI 1·02, 1·71; P = 0·03) and higher BMI (b = 1·14; 95 % CI 0·36, 1·93; P = 0·004).Conclusions: Results suggest that food desert residents shop at different food stores and have higher BMI than non-food desert residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Most small stores have incentivized agreements with suppliers of unhealthy products. • These agreements may give prime shelf placement to unhealthy products. • Monetary values of these agreements vary and may impact retailers’ bottom line. • Retailers see notable advantages and disadvantages to having these agreements. Abstract Small food stores, like corner stores and limited assortment stores, often sell and promote unhealthy foods and beverages. Yet few studies have examined retailer participation in contracts or agreements with suppliers of energy-dense, high-sugar, and high-fat foods and beverages. Given that these agreements may influence the placement and promotion of unhealthy products, this study aimed to: (a) describe incentive-based agreements between food/beverage suppliers and small food store retailers, including monetary value of incentives; (b) assess retailers’ perceptions of these agreements, including issues related to importance and profitability. Both qualitative (open-ended) and structured interviews were conducted with 72 managers of small stores in four sites: Durham, NC; Baltimore, MD; Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN; and San Diego, CA. Interviews focused on incentivized agreements with suppliers of candy, salty snacks, sweet snacks, sugary beverages and frozen desserts. On average, retailers had 1–2 agreements per product category (range 0–5). For candy, salty snacks and sweet snacks, median one-time, lump-sum incentives were valued at $100–$120 for each product category, in contrast to $2000 for sugary beverages. Incentives included product displays, free/discounted products, marketing materials, and slotting payments/fees. Perceived advantages of agreements included rebates and suppliers’ support for product merchandizing, while disadvantages included minimum purchasing and product placement requirements. Retailers had mixed opinions about whether these incentives significantly contributed to profits overall. In summary, understanding the nature of these agreements and the ways in which they influence retailers’ decision making could be valuable in advancing efforts to partner with retailers and improve the healthfulness of food environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food retailers are under increasing political and social pressure to reduce both the amount of food that they waste and the amount of greenhouse gases (GHGs) that their food retailing activities incur. For completeness, when assessing the ‘carbon footprint” of their business activities, food retailers should also included the greenhouse gas emissions caused by their disposal of waste food, which will vary with the waste disposal option used. However, there is lack of quantitative guidance for food retailers on the net GHG emissions that are incurred in the disposal of specific food types by the various disposal options available. Here, we calculate the net GHG emissions of eight different waste disposal options for five core food types using life cycle assessment, accounting for both emissions incurred in transport and processing, and those mitigated by the creation of useful products. We also assess the extent to which the embodied emissions in waste foods at the retail checkout can be mitigated by each disposal option. In addition to food specific results, we calculate mass-weighted averages using data from a mid-sized retail chain. We find a strong correlation between net emissions and the energy density of foods, and the following mass weighted disposal hierarchy (from best to worst, with respect to greenhouse gas emissions): donation of edible food to food banks; anaerobic digestion; conversion to animal feed; incineration with energy recovery; aerobic composting; landfill with gas collection and utilisation; landfill with gas collection and flaring; landfill without gas collection. If waste food from retailers is unfit for human consumption, to minimise greenhouse gas emissions it should be disposed of by conversion to animal feed or anaerobic digestion. For all food types, landfill is the worst disposal option. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All retailers are obliged to compete in an environment which is characterised by increasing competition, uncertain economic conditions and the increasingly sophisticated desires of consumers. In response, retailers have been prompted to improve not only the ranges of products which they offer, but the quality of their service as well. Some food retailers, however, have gained a reputation for the poor quality of their service. By contrast, those food retailers which consistently provide their customers with service which is perceived to be of high quality are usually rewarded with high levels of both satisfaction and loyalty among their customers, which tends to minimise the likelihood of customers defecting to competitors and ultimately results in the retailers concerned maintaining their profitability in a sustainable manner. On the assumption that the youth represents a significant market for any retailer, it is a central tenet of this paper that retailers which are able to attract and muster support among the youth would inevitably increase both their viability and their sustainability. Accordingly, the study upon which this paper is based sought to gauge the perceptions of the youth of the importance of receiving high quality service from the large food retailers which they patronised most. A quantitative research approach was adopted to gather the data from a final research sample of 176 first year students who were enrolled to study towards the National Diploma in Retail Business Management at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. Students who were studying towards this particular qualification were purposively selected because it was assumed that they would be familiar with retail concepts and be acutely aware of concerns pertaining to service quality. A self-administered questionnaire was considered to represent the optimal means of gathering relevant and appropriate data. The findings suggest that although large food retailers were generally perceived as successfully providing high quality service in some respects, in others they were generally less successful. It was evident that the respondents perceived, to a very significant degree, that the physical attributes of large retail food stores were the most important determinants of service quality. Attributes which pertained to convenience received particularly high ratings from the respondents, as did the quality of the products which were offered by retailers. Those determinants of service quality which pertained to interactions with the sales staffs of the retailers received the lowest ratings. The fact that the respondents rated the quality of the products which were offered as being of greater concern than their prices suggested that they would be inclined to remain loyal to large food retailers which met their perceived requirements for overall quality, which would include that of the service which they received from the retailers concerned, even if their prices were higher than those of their competitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Awareness of the information provided on food labels is important and will help the consumers to select standard food packaging. This knowledge can lead to improving the diet and health in the community. This study was carried out to determine the knowledge and practice of food producer retailers and consumers of food labels in Bostanabad, East-Azarbaijan province. In a descriptive and cross-sectional study, 1013 individuals were selected through random selection. Data on demographics and knowledge and practice of food retailers and consumers were collected by filling in a questionnaire and the results were compared. The age of participants ranged 16-65 years old and majority of them were between 40 and 60 years of age. According to the results, 75.7% of the participants read food labels during shopping. Amongst mostly considered food labels to observe the production and expiry dates on labels. A minority of the participants read food labels for nutritional information, product weight, types of additives and artificial colors, etc. The results showed that knowledge of people about the nutritional information on food labels is very slight. Due to the high impact of nutritional knowledge on the performance of people, having an idea about the individual’s attention to the information on food labels is essential. It is important to achieve the proper nutritional behavior and reduce the risk of adverse effects associated with packaged foods.

Purpose: Geographic information systems (GISs) have been used to define fast food availability, with higher availability perhaps promoting poorer quality diets. Alternative measures involve perceptions; however, few studies have examined associations between GIS-derived and perceived measures of the food environment.Methods: Telephone surveys of 705 participants within an eight-county region in South Carolina were analyzed using logistic regression to examine relationships between geographic presence of and distance to various types of food retailers and perceived fast food availability.Results: The mean distance to the nearest fast food restaurant was 6.1 miles, with 16% of participants having a fast food restaurant within 1 mile of home. The geographic presence of and distance to all food retailer types were significantly associated with perceived availability of fast food in unadjusted models. After adjustment, only the presence of a fast food restaurant or pharmacy was significantly associated with greater odds of higher perceived availability of fast food. Greater odds of lower perceived availability of fast food were observed with the presence of a dollar store and increasing distance to the nearest supermarket or pharmacy.Conclusions: Measures of fast food availability, whether objective or perceived, may not be interchangeable. Researchers should carefully decide on the appropriate measurement tool-GIS-derived or perceived-in food environment studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stakeholders' demands for product sustainability redefine the focus of corporate purchasing strategies from the traditional concern with financial performance to considerations of 'triple bottom line' viability. This adds to the complexity of managing interorganizational relationships and poses a question regarding corporate ability to effectively leverage suppliers over environmental and social performance of supplied goods. Since it is not clear what type of purchasing relationship is more favorable for greening a product supply, the current paper aims to investigate how food retailers manage their relationships with suppliers in order to influence the environmental and social performance of procured goods and improve the availability of sustainably produced supply. The research is based on two case studies of Swedish supermarkets and supplementary semi-structured interviews with Swedish, British and Danish supermarkets. The results of the study contribute to the existing body of academic knowledge in the field of sustainable supply chain management by developing a typology of sustainable purchasing relationships with detailed insights into the nature of collaborative practices, structure of incentives, sustainability ambition, and approaches to verification of compliance. The study has also revealed the dependence of sustainable purchasing relationships on the characteristics of the procurement context, namely the presence of well-established sustainability certification schemes, perceived by purchaser's situation with availability of sustainability certified supply and purchaser's interpretation of the state of power dependence in relationships with suppliers. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engaging with commercial partners is increasingly required by public science funding agencies and encouraged by government officials. Reasons for this shift include alleviating the strain on government science budgets and opening up possibilities for scientists to secure jobs in private companies. Universities have also begun to advocate for strategies and policies that facilitate commercial collaborations. Similarly, there is interest--although still scattered in Portugal--among the business sector to look for "something different" in order to prepare for the complex problems that await in an uncertain future. This essay addresses the process of gaining entrée to a major Portuguese food retailer by making use of the metaphors of flirting and dating. The slow process of engagement with this retailer is described, in particular a two-day "backstage" visit of its food retail operations. During these interactions the challenges of commercial--science collaborations with regard to differing expectations and objectives--in areas such as trust issues; confidentiality agreements; integrity of scientific objectives versus the pressures of market-driven organizations; the different nature and uses of information--are unveiled. The disparate conceptions of time and output delivery, together with the different rhythms of making business and making science, are discussed. To conclude, the "dating" and "flirting" stages of the relationship between social researchers and food retailers reflect a slow process that involves diplomatic skills, open minds, and the constant juggling of "familiar" and "unfamiliar" ways of thinking and doing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The food environment has been shown to be a factor affecting the obesity rate. We studied the association of density of food retailer type with obesity rate in U.S. adults in local regions controlling for socioeconomic factors. Parametric nonlinear regression was used on publically available data (year=2009) at the county level. We used the results of this association to estimate the impact of the addition of a new food retailer type in a geographic region. Obesity rate increased in supercenters (0.25–0.28%) and convenience stores (0.05%) and decreased in grocery stores (0.08%) and specialized food stores (0.27–0.36%). The marginal measures estimated in this work could be useful in identifying regions where interventions based on food retailer type would be most effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT The paper aims to provide a systematic overview of the drivers and barriers for food retailers to implement corporate supply chain responsibility. The research is based on a literature analysis and semi-structured interviews with food retailers, with primary focus on Swedish conventional supermarket chains. The paper contributes to the existing body of research by providing the food retailers' own perspective on the factors that trigger addressing sustainability concerns in their supply chain and by providing a taxonomy of drivers and barriers. As a result, a number of additional factors that influence the launch of responsible supply chain practices have been identified. Interestingly some of these factors are beyond the trivial driver-barrier dichotomy. This paper is of interest to food retailers who aim to design sustainable supply chain strategies and justify associated investments, and for policymakers who aim to support retailers in their transition towards sustainable practices. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2012 the anti-GMO (genetically modified organism) movement has gained significant grassroots momentum in its efforts to require mandatory GMO food labels through state-level ballot and legislative efforts. Major food and agriculture corporations are opposed to mandatory GMO labels and have successfully defeated most of these initiatives. Nevertheless, these battles have garnered significant media attention and re-energized the debate over GMO crops and foods. In this paper, we argue that one of the most significant outcomes of this fight is efforts by food retailers and value-based food companies to implement voluntary non-GMO labels and brands. We draw on the governance and political consumerism literature to explore (counter) movement efforts for mandatory labels and how these efforts are being institutionalized through private voluntary governance institutions. Our assessment is based on in-depth, semi-structured interviews with key informants from consumer and environmental organizations, agriculture and biotech companies, and government regulatory agencies, as well as a content analysis of food industry websites. A growing number of food retailers recognize the reputational and economic value that new niche markets for non-GMO foods can offer, while the anti-GMO movement views these efforts as a step in the direction of mandatory GMO labels. We conclude that voluntary labels may act to settle the labeling debate by mollifying agri-food industry concerns about mandatory labeling and meeting the desire of political consumers for greater choice and transparency but without addressing the broader social and environmental sustainability concerns that drives the anti-GMO movement in the first place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the factors that underlie store attributes and determines their influence on maximal customer satisfaction. First, we attempt to assess the differential influence of store factors on several customer subsamples that exhibit diverse retail patronage behaviour, a variable we operationalise as shopping frequency in accordance with relevant literature. Second, we aim to determine whether the economic downturn has exerted any influence on this relationship by collecting two comparable samples of consumers in different periods – one at the beginning of the crisis and one in the middle of the crisis. The findings highlight the importance of the proximity to home and customer attention attributes, and show that while in the beginning of the crisis a higher shopping frequency has a greater propensity to enhance the convenience, services and quality image factors, in the middle of the crisis the smallest number of factors contributing to satisfaction can be observed in the subsamples with the highest and lowest shopping frequency, respectively. The results thus suggest that the current economic situation is not contributing strongly to changes in consumers' patronage behaviours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Local food systems are comprised of networks of actors that work to ensure the sustainability of food supplies within communities. While local food has typically been promoted through direct marketing strategies such as farmers' markets and community-supported agriculture (CSA), retail stores are increasingly carrying and marketing local foods in response to consumer demand and market potential. Given the frequency with which consumers shop at grocery stores, as well as the portion of consumers' food purchases made at these locations, these stores may play a significant role in the success of local agriculture and the shaping of ideology about what is ‘local’. We conducted 27 semi-structured interviews with representatives of food retailers known to source and market local foods in the four major urban centers of Oregon's Willamette Valley. Our results reveal that grocers' perceptions of local food vary significantly from one another. Additionally, our results differed in comparison to the published literature on consumers' and producers' ideas of what constitutes local. Food retailers identified varying distances (frequently a region including several states) that they consider local, as well as diverse reasons for choosing to source and market local foods (most commonly supporting the local economy). Some trends in the variation of responses relate to how the size and form of ownership of the grocery stores influence the level at which decisions are made. These wide-ranging perceptions outline many of the realities of the local food movement, as well as opportunities for change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: There is growing interest in how the physical environment influences obesity. Few studies have considered how the food retail environment surrounding schools influences overweight in students. Objective: To determine whether there is a relationship between food retailers surrounding schools and overweight among Canadian youth. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting/methods/subjects: The number of food retailers was obtained within a 1 km and 5 km radius around 178 schools in Canada. Retailers included fullservice restaurants, fast-food restaurants, sub/sandwich retailers, doughnut/coffee shops, convenience stores and grocery stores. An index of total food retailer exposure was also created. Multilevel analyses were used to control for individual- and area-level covariates. Results: None of the individual food retailers was associated with an increased likelihood of overweight. The total food retailer index was most strongly related to overweight, but in the opposite direction to that hypothesized. At 1 km, students attending schools with at least one food retailer had a lower relative odds of overweight (OR=0·70, 95% CI 0·61, 0·81). At 5 km, students attending schools with the highest exposure to the total food retailer index had a lower relative odds of overweight (OR=0·56, 95% CI 0·47, 0·68) compared with students attending schools with no exposure. Conclusions: Exposure to various types of food retailers in school neighbourhoods was not associated with an increased likelihood of overweight in Canadian school-aged youth. The opportunity to make healthy choices from a variety of options and the unique Canadian context may explain the findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated frequency of consumption and location of obtaining snack foods and sociodemographic differences therein. Data: cross-sectional survey data (N = 1784 Dutch adults 18-65 years) on the frequency of consumption of 10 snack foods and where they obtained them. Adjusted logistic regression analyses revealed notable differences in the frequency of snack food consumption between younger and older adults and between those with low vs. high socioeconomic position (SEP). The location of obtaining snack foods also differed between sociodemographic groups with supermarkets forming an important point-of-purchase for snack foods, especially for those with low SEP and with children in their household. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]