The Issues

Why is The Parents Jury concerned about junk food displayed at supermarket checkouts?

Customers standing in line at the supermarket checkout counter are a captive audience. The tempting displays of chocolates and chips are within an easy hand's reach and if the tummy is empty it can be very hard to resist just a ‘little something'. Parents accompanied by young children are also often faced with an even bigger battle than with just their own willpower as a full-blown temper tantrum ensues.

On this page:

• Junk food at the checkout
• Large budgets and clever marketing
• Pester power equals more sales
• Health concerns

Junk food at the checkout:

• Puts temptation within easy reach of little hands
• Provokes embarrassing nagging and temper tantrums
• Attracts unhealthy impulse purchases
• Encourages the consumption of empty calories
• Promotes increased incidence of dental decay

Large budgets and clever marketing

The Australian confectionery market is worth an amazing $1,865 million per year and up to 83 per cent of purchases are made on impulse¹. Multinational confectionery and snack food companies have large marketing budgets and the resources to encourage huge volumes of sales. Supermarkets ensure that the most alluring, tempting items are placed exactly where the customer is most likely to make an impulse purchase - at the checkout counter where they are a captive audience. One major chocolate manufacturer, Nestlé, estimates that if every UK supermarket displayed chocolate at their checkouts, total chocolate sales would increase by an 15 million bars per year².

Confectionery displays at checkouts are designed particularly with young children in mind.  Food manufacturers spend a lot of money researching what appeals to their target market and the best ways to attract a purchase. Products packaged specifically for young children are strategically placed lower down on the display stands in clear view of young children's line of sight and within easy reach of small hands. Many of these items are adorned with colourful characters, friendly animals or have a toy packaged with them to make them even more appealing.

¹  Australian Convenience Store News, March/April 2001,  http://www.c-store.com.au/magazine/archive/2001/confectbars.html
² The Food Commission (UK), http://www.foodcomm.org.uk/

Pester power equals more sales

Pester power is a marketing term used to describe the nagging by children when they persistently ask a parent or guardian to purchase something for them. Marketers know that by positioning confectionery and snack foods close to the supermarket checkout counter they are likely to trigger pestering by young children. Pestering frequently escalates into a full-blown tantrum when a young child is told, ‘no'. Many parents will give in and make an unhealthy purchase just to resolve the situation and avoid any further embarrassment. Pester power really works!

Confectionery and snack food companies use many different tactics to generate pester power in children:

• Positioning
• Appealing and colourful packaging
• Cartoon characters
• Toy giveaways
• Movie and entertainment tie-ins
• Celebrity endorsement

Health concerns

Australia is in the midst of an obesity epidemic and increasing numbers of children are now overweight or obese. In 1985 approximately 10 per cent of Australian children were overweight or obese; this figure has risen to approximately 25 per cent in 2004. Experts estimate that by 2025 nearly half of all children will be overweight or obese¹.

There is no doubt that the impulse purchase of confectionery and snack foods at the checkout can add a large dose of additional calories, fat, sugar and sodium to daily intake. Excessive consumption of these empty nutrients contributes to expanding waistlines and increased risk of associated health problems such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke and cancer.

In addition to contributing to the overweight and obesity problem, a high intake of sugar is also associated with increased dental cavities amongst both children and adults. The number of children being treated for dental cavities is rising and can be directly correlated with the increase in consumption of high sugar soft drinks and confectionery.

The high level of sodium contained in many junk food products sold at the checkouts is another serious health concern. On average, Australians are consuming twice as much sodium each day than recommended by government guidelines. Processed snack foods are often loaded with sodium and should be avoided.

Removing unhealthy snacks from the checkouts is just one small measure that socially responsible retailers can take to help address increasing public health concerns regarding the over-consumption of nutrient poor foods.

Take a look at the nutrient values of these popular items:

When you compare these amounts with the recommended daily energy, total fat and sodium intakes for an average weight (22kg) and height (1.2m) 7 year old girl, you can see how the frequent impulse purchase of confectionery and chips at the checkout can easily stack on the weight.

• The recommended daily energy intake for a 7 year old girl who is moderately physically active is 7,300kj. One packet of Twisties will provide nearly a seventh of her daily energy requirements.
• The recommended daily total fat intake for a 7 year old girl is up to 55g/day. The same packet of Twisties contains nearly a third of the total fat she should be consuming each day.
• Children aged between 4 and 8 require 300 to 600mg of sodium per day. The packet of Twisties will provide our average 7 year old girl with close to the maximum amount of sodium she should be consuming for the whole day. ²
• It is also important to consider the sugar content of these products. One teaspoon of sugar is 4g. The Twisties don't fare too badly with only one teaspoon of sugar, however the chocolate bars each have over four times that amount.

¹ Swinburn B., Be Active Eat Well, Barwon SW Region, 2005.
² Australian Government, Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand