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Nutrient content of products purchased following the implementation of the “Healthier Vending Policy” in Ireland.
- Olivia Porter, Isobel Stanley, Agatha Lawless, Sarah O'Brien, Cecily C. Kelleher, Celine M. Murrin, Silvia Bel-Serrat
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- Journal:
- Proceedings of the Nutrition Society / Volume 79 / Issue OCE2 / 2020
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 10 June 2020, E127
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Introduction
The food environment influences food choices made by populations. On-the-go snacking has become an integral part of modern Irish life and must be considered when shaping such environments, considering that the Republic of Ireland population consume an average of 2.5 snacks daily, with 22% of snacking occasions occurring outside the home. This has driven the increased prevalence of snack food vending machines which typically stock unhealthy products that are high in energy, fat and sugar. The Health Service Executive (HSE) implemented the Healthier Vending Policy in 2015 to increase the availability of healthier products across HSE premises. This research examined the nutrient content of snacks and beverages purchased in vending machines on HSE premises following the implementation of the HSE Healthier Vending Policy.
Materials and MethodsVending machines product and sales data were obtained from two vending machines companies at baseline in 2015 and following policy implementation in 2016. Product labels and online product information were used to obtain the energy and nutrient contents. The products were assigned to a snack or beverage category; nuts, mints, cereal bars, chocolates, sweets, crisps, waters, juices, carbonated drinks and other. New variables were computed, descriptive analyses were undertaken and Wilcoxon-signed rank tests performed using SPSS Statistics 24. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.
ResultsSnacks and beverages sold in 295 vending machines across 89 HSE premises were analysed. There were statistically significant decreases in median energy sold per packet (9.7%) and per 100 g (7.1%) following policy implementation. Reductions in total fat (53.2%), saturated fat (32.4%), sugar (10.0%) and sodium (20.0%) sold also occurred. When snacks were analysed separately the findings were less positive, as a statistically significant increase in energy sold per packet and an increase in total fat sold per 100 g occurred. The findings in relation to beverages were mixed. The effect of the policy varied across snack categories, with particularly large reductions in energy sold per packet in carbonated drinks (54.0%) and cereal bars (44.2%).
DiscussionAdecrease in the amount of energy, total fat, saturated fat, sugar and sodium sold was observed following the implementation of the policy. The HSE Healthier Vending Policy seemed to promote a healthier environment. It is recommended that this policy continues to be implemented and is reviewed to ensure the best possible outcomes nationally. It is also advisable to bring this policy to other settings to combat obesogenic environments and promote public health.
Investigating the impact of the HSE Healthier Vending Policy on unit sales of snack items
- Marco McVey, Isobel Stanley, Agatha Lawless, Sarah O'Brien, Celine Murrin
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- Journal:
- Proceedings of the Nutrition Society / Volume 79 / Issue OCE2 / 2020
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 10 June 2020, E432
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Vending machines provide quick and easy access to snacks and, in general, provide few healthy options to consumers. Given this high availability of unhealthy foods in vending machines, consumers are likely to purchase and consume a less healthy option. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of a Healthier Vending policy in all Health Service Executive (HSE) premises across the Republic of Ireland on unit sales of vending machine snacks. Under the policy, the contents of vending machines were altered so that healthier, Better Choice (BC), snacks would constitute a majority of the vending machine stock (minimum 60%) in comparison to the less healthy, Other Choice (OC), snacks. Snacks were defined as BC if they contained: ≤ 150kcals/packet, ≤ 20g/100 g total fat, ≤ 5g/100 g saturated fat, ≤ 15g/100 g sugar, and ≤ 1.5g/100 g salt/sodium. Products stocked as OC should be ≤ 250kcals/packet. BC snacks were placed in prime slots and at eye-level in order to prompt the consumer towards buying a BC snack, with OC snacks being placed to incentivise the choice of BC snacks. Consumers were also incentivised to purchase BC snacks through written cues that appear on the vending machines. Sales data was provided by vending companies for 2015 (baseline) and 2016 (year 1). Unit sales of all snack types increased between the two time points, with the exception of dried fruit and nuts. The proportion of OC products purchased relative to total unit sales decreased following the intervention, as did the proportion of gum and mints and dried fruit and nuts sales. While the proportion of BC crisps purchased relative to total unit sales increased post-intervention, an increase in the proportion of OC bars purchased relative to total unit sales was also seen. Sales of both BC and OC dried fruit/nuts relative to total unit sales decreased. Our results indicate that policies aiming to improve the nutrition environment in health care settings, through increasing the availability of healthy products in vending machines and promoting their purchase, could be an effective method of reducing the amount of unhealthy products purchased overall. These policies can alter consumers’ purchasing patterns and prompt consumers towards purchasing a healthier/unhealthier version of the same product, as seen with crisps and bars in this study.