Experts say we need to rethink our ‘food environment’ to reduce ultra-processed food intake

As Consumption of ultra-processed food increases Together Obesity rates in CanadaExperts say the issue is often more complex than mustering the will to oppose them.Easily available, highly delicious food,

Instead, a person’s food environment plays a key role in determining how healthy a person can eat, science writer Julia Belluz and nutritionist Kevin Hall argue in their new book. food intelligence,

a person’s food environment This includes all of the ways they get food – including at home, in restaurants and even grocery stores – and it has a profound impact on what that person will eat.

The authors say that changes to our food environment could help people eat healthier foods and take better care of their bodies.

“The dramatic changes that we’ve seen in the calories available in the overall food supply, and the quality of those calories and where they’re coming from, and the types of products available to people… those are the primary attributes that we believe are driving the increase in obesity rates,” Hall told host Dr. Brian Goldman. diet,

Understanding the Food Environment

When it comes to grocery store environment, experts say a lot of time and money is invested in influencing how customers shop, what they buy and ultimately what they eat.

Food economist Mike von Massow says grocery stores are designed to be attractive to as many people as possible, leading customers to buy as many groceries as possible from a single store.

“The more they can get you to keep in your cart, the better,” said von Massow, a professor in the department of food agriculture and resource economics at the University of Guelph.

The produce is usually the first thing people see when they go to a grocery store because the sight of fresh fruits and vegetables gives customers an immediate sense of quality.

Common foods – such as bread, eggs, meat, milk and cheese – are available on the outer perimeter of the store.

“And then will you walk down the aisle to buy other things that might be on your list or lead you to impulse buy things,” von Massow said.

Sometimes these impulse purchases can be healthy foods, such as marked-down fruit on sale, but they can also include ultra-processed foods.

How to Win Customers and Influence Buyers

Research shows that only so much can be done to encourage healthy shopping.

Pointing to nutrition labels as an example, von Massow said the laboratory The research he was involved in Providing access to healthy foods has been shown to actually encourage people who are already interested in eating those healthy foods.

“It’s hard to influence customers to buy healthy things if they have no interest in buying healthy things,” he said.

Nonetheless, some research suggests that most Canadians – about 70 per cent, according to A study from Blue Cross – Says they try to eat healthy.

Easy-to-read nutrition labels are the most direct way to attract those people, says David Hammond, a professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Waterloo.

“People don’t want to be given numbers and then have to have all kinds of other information and facts to figure out what those numbers mean,” he said.

“What they want, and they say it over and over again, is something that is simple and prescriptive.”

A 2023 study suggest that implementing front-of-package labels “could significantly reduce sodium, total sugar and saturated fat intake among Canadian adults and subsequently prevent or postpone a large number of diet-related (non-communicable disease) deaths in Canada.”

Additionally a 2020 retail study suggest that using the phrase “high in” could help Canadians “make more informed food choices with respect to sugars, sodium and saturated fat.”

Do you want to cut down on ultra-processed foods? improve food literacy

Belluz says adopt more useful food labels – like French Nutri-Score grading system – Can provide an easy way for buyers to understand what they are eating.

Nutri-Score system rewards food a color and letter grade – Green A indicates high nutritional quality and red E indicates low nutritional quality.

There is some evidence that Nutri-Score, which was introduced in 2017, is changing the way French consumers think about their purchases.

A 2021 evaluation The real-world impact of Nutri-Score on French consumers found that 57 percent of French consumers had changed at least one purchasing habit because of the system in 2020, compared to 43 percent in 2019.

In addition to helping consumers make more informed decisions, front-of-package labels can also encourage food manufacturers to reformulate their products to make them healthier, says Liesel Carlson, a professor of nutrition and dietetics at Acadia University.

Clear Nutrition Warning Labels Already appeared on some packages In Canada, a comprehensive phase out is required by January 2026.

“The industry has known for a long time that these were coming, and one advantage of giving the industry a lot of time is that they can retool their products,” Carlsson said.

“They’ve got to have time for their food scientists to say, ‘Oh my God, is there a way to produce this delicious ham, but to modify the recipe so we get under the threshold and don’t end up with a label on it?'”

For their part, some Canadian grocers say they support shoppers making more informed choices about their food.

“Through our My Health My Choice program, we help customers navigate their options and make decisions that align with their values ​​and lifestyle,” a Metro spokesperson said via email.

“Whether they’re looking for fresh produce, organic selections, pantry staples, or ready-to-eat meals, our offerings reflect people’s everyday preferences.”

Loblaw declined to comment, and directed CBC to the Retail Council of Canada for industry insight.

Sobeys did not comment prior to publication.