The Impact of Voluntary Policies on Parents’ Ability to Select Healthy Foods in Supermarkets: A Qualitative Study of Australian Parental Views
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Participants and Recruitment
2.2. Design and Procedure
2.3. Selection of Visual Stimuli
2.4. Development of Focus Group Discussion Guide
2.5. Data Analysis
2.6. Analytical Framework
3. Results
3.1. Pressure of Meeting Multiple Demands
“We have so much pressure I think these days to be a ‘good mum’ and even when I’m standing at the checkout I worry what are people going to think about what’s in my trolley”(group 3 participant)
“Half of it’s if they’re going to eat it or not as well, because I don’t know about everyone else but wasting food is bad you know, especially when it’s as expensive as it is”(group 2 participant)
“I may as well just throw my money in the bin”(group 1 participant)
“We’ll do spag bol (sic), it’ll have vegetables that are big enough that you can take them out for one kid and then noodles, probably have noodles because my daughter only wants noodles, and then I’ll have no pasta and I’ll just have it with broccoli”(group 4 participant)
“They are not going to take a meal to have on a plate, it’s stuff that’s got to be in their lunchbox and it’s got to survive”(group 3 participant)
“Depends if you’ve got the time actually, and the inclination to actually compare what’s in the different brands”(group 4 participant)
“You have to be organised I think, if you want to eat healthy you’ve got to be prepared and organised and know exactly what you’re going to have”(group 5 participant)
3.2. Desire to Speed up Shopping
“I try to get things that say low sugar or no preservatives on the packaging”“Or wholegrain”“Yes, no artificial colours, no preservatives all that stuff”(group 1 participants)
“For me it’s the ingredients list, if it’s got too many things on there and I don’t know what they are, I don’t buy it”“Yes, it’s got to be things that I know what they are”“If it doesn’t say ‘light’ on there, I’ll buy it”“If it’s light dairy or low fat dairy it means there’s added sugar, so dairy needs to be full fat”(group 3 participants)
“When you have pictures of princesses or you know they try to attract kids, it’s not healthy for the kids”(group 4 participant)
“I think the brighter they are, the more sugar is in it”(group 2 participant)
“Colours do make a difference because if I saw something like that Rice Bubble thing multi-colours, rainbows, I would think it’s full of sugar”(group 1 participant)
“Anything that has a princess picture my daughter will eat”(group 2 participant)
“I just trust my instinct, because we’ve survived this long”(group 2 participant)
“I don’t really understand the star ratings so that would be very low on my list”“I don’t know if only some brands do it and others don’t”“You’re right it’s really inconsistent isn’t it”“You don’t necessarily know what it means”(group 1 participants)
“I’d love Australia to have the traffic light system of rating. I think some countries have it, it’s mandatory to have it on all the boxes and it basically rates the food as to how healthy it is”(group 1 participant)
3.3. Feeding Them Well Versus Keeping Them Happy
“I know they’re eating wholegrain bread for lunch and they’re going to be having chicken and veggies (sic) for dinner, so I can make a decision to give them something high in sugar”“The 80:20 rule”“Plus the kids will probably burn it off as well, if you give them a little bit now and then it’s not too bad”(group 2 participants)
“Sometimes I’m busy and I might have nuggets in the freezer so we’ll chuck them in the deep fryer”“The whole point for me is it’s too difficult to say no to my kids all the time”(group 5 participants)
“I mean I dictate a fair bit about what I buy, and I have been made to buy Dora [the explorer, cartoon character] baked beans over normal ones”“I’m a little bit strict”“My kids don’t dictate to me at all, what I say goes, but it’s not like their plate has to be cleared, if I think they’ve had enough and they’ve eaten a substantial meal they can go”“I’m cool to say no, but the boys like to have crisps, and probably twice a week I let them, that’s a treat for them because they’ve been good”(group 5 participants)
“I don’t have any [junk] in my house”“We don’t buy any [junk]”“No it doesn’t come into my house”“There’s no soft drinks in my house”(group 4 participants)
3.4. Lack of Certainty in Packaging Information
“You can burn off fat better than you can burn sugar”“I’m way more concerned about sugar than fat these days”“The trans fats are supposed to be shocking, and they have to put more sugar in to make the trans fats taste good”“I’ve no idea what that is”(group 2 participants)
“Are we defining healthy as sugar, fat, salt? Or are we defining healthy as chemicals, additives, preservatives?”(group 5 participant)
“If they say it’s good for me I’ll think it is, I don’t like to put too much thought into it because it really confuses me”(group 2 participant)
“I think the stars is better than all that writing, a quick summary”(group 1 participant)
“The more stars the more nutritious the product, now what does nutritious mean?”“I fail to see how that [product] can be healthy when it’s full of sugar”“It just says more nutritious, but what does it actually take to get a 5 star rating?”“What does more nutritious mean?”“It’s a sort of grading, it depends on how healthy [it is]”“It doesn’t actually tell you what you have to do to get that rating, does it anywhere on [the packaging]?”(group 4 participants)
“It is very, very tricky, very tricky, that’s why you’ve just got to keep it simple”(group 5 participant)
3.5. Government is Trusted and Should Take Charge
“It’s your decision you know at the end of the day, but I do think there are ways and [government] regulations that could help people”“I think the onus is on us, but I think it would be helpful if it was easier to interpret the information”“The government should be doing more about the labelling so that it’s clear and concise instead of putting pressure on the parents to put healthy stuff in the lunchbox. It should be the parent’s responsibility to eat healthily at home, it should be the government’s responsibility to protect people’s inundation with misleading information”(group 3 participants)
“I think if [food manufacturers] didn’t have to they wouldn’t put [any information] on there… if they didn’t have to they wouldn’t tell you how much sugar was in there”“It’s totally the government’s responsibility”“The government doesn’t care about our health”“Okay so the government needs to make them [food manufacturers] do it, make them do it that’s right, then check they’re doing it right”(group 2 participants)
“They’ve got the responsibility for making sure that the nutritional information is correct, and prosecuting and punishing offenders who’ve lied about their nutritional information”“I think they should make it clearer, I still don’t know how much is too much… maybe asking the manufacturer to make it clearer”(group 4 participants)
“It’s the content of the food at a glance: to help make informed food purchases and healthier choices the more stars the more nutritious the product”“So it’s by the government”“It’s a summary they’ve just condensed into one thing”“They should say to the mothers out there that this is the system that we are now using like the Australian-made logo and just letting us know what it actually means, it’s a great idea”“I think it’s better than all that writing, a quick summary”(group 1 participants)
“In a perfect world I think actually if somebody could decide on a methodology whether it’s ticks, whether it’s stars then it would be government’s responsibility to implement that kind of thing, I don’t think we should have voluntary things which you know the only people who volunteer to be part of it are the ones who know they’re going to get a good rating”(group 4 participant)
3.6. Food Manufacturers’ Health Messages Are Not Trusted
“I don’t trust a lot of the labelling, I feel like a lot of the labelling is marketing”“They’ll put [snack food] in the green wrapper and then they’ll put a picture of a banana on there and then they’ll say it’s fat free, but it’s full of sugar”“See that’s the thing you look at something like this [product] and it’s got no artificial colours, additives, but it’s full of salt”“You’ve got to know what it’s saying”“I think the manufacturer has some responsibility as well”“There’s guidelines in place, and I think [food manufacturers have] got a responsibility to communicate clearly to us what’s there”(group 5 participants)
“My concern is that when they say this is 5% of your daily intake, it’s based on an adult male average diet, and these foods are aimed at children, and have different nutritional requirements, so it’s not 5% of their fat intake for the day, it’s who knows what percentage it should be”“I think the companies should be honest about what they put in it”“Do the companies care about our health? Or do the government care about our health?”“Like you say with this here it says 90% of your daily intake, but this is aimed for a kid and then it’s based on the average adult diet”“It’s misleading definitely”“I think every product here has some sort of misleading information on it”“But they get around it somehow”“Yeah, it’s not untrue it’s just misleading”(group 2 participants)
“100 grams is less than a cup and you’d give your child more than a cup worth of cereal”(group 3 participant)
3.7. Supermarkets Slkhould Assist Parents to Select Healthy Foods
“All three of the kids have a little basket and they continually run into old people, and I fill them up, and then they argue over who gets to carry what, and I try not to shout at everyone”(group 5 participant)
“They are so big now that they should be able to, if they want us to come and trust their shops then why can’t they?”(group 1 participant)
“[Products] should be categorised a bit more than what they do now, as to what’s healthy and what’s not”“I think [they should put] specific healthy foods in specific sections so that you know that you’re getting less sugar and less artificial additives, and then having the rest next to them but with some sort of division, so that could help people that have less time or don’t want to look at the nutritional side of things and be more healthy, even use the school canteen [traffic light] system, it’d help wouldn’t it?”“I reckon have all the healthy stuff at eye level and then all the junk food and stuff down where you don’t look”(group 2 participants)
“The supermarket could so easily just hang a little tag next to it, a little green light, and explain what falls into those categories so you can go and make a decision about it, well it’s just an easier shopping decision isn’t it?”“That’s relying on you trusting that system”“That sort of stuff should be in the ‘more info’ button… and you click to see more info and get the details online”(group 4 participants)
“Woolies and Coles [supermarket chains] are there to have everything in the one place for you and I’d love it if they made things really easy and they helped but in a consumer money driven world it’s unlikely”“Woolies is unlikely to go through the 3 million products they have in store and guide you through, they can say that the information is clearly displayed on pretty much every item they have”(group 3 participants)
“I get very frustrated because I will see something on special and you can’t go in to see the ingredients, oh well even if it’s a really good price I won’t put it in my shopping cart”“I shop online and a lot of things don’t have ingredients on there, so I just won’t buy them unless it’s something I’ve had before and I know it’s OK”“Yes, [those details] should be online, because I get frustrated with it all the time”“They could make it a bit easier to navigate too. You can’t search for no preservatives, or no added sugar, you can’t even search for nut free….”“Online sounds like way more trouble than its worth”(group 3 participants)
“If you are online and you can’t find the information you want, I think they are doing themselves a disservice because you are not going to shop there”“They are providing a service, so I think anyone who is providing a service does have a responsibility to their customers to provide the very best service that they can”(group 3 participants)
4. Discussion
4.1. Parents’ Ability to Navigate Marketing Information on Food Packaging to Select Healthy Foods
4.2. Who Parents Thought Should Be Responsible for Helping Them to Select Healthy Foods
4.2.1. Government’s Role
4.2.2. Food Manufacturers’ Role
4.2.3. Supermarkets’ Role
4.3. Strengths and Limitations
4.4. Implications for Public Health Policy and Practice
5. Conclusions
Supplementary Materials
Author Contributions
Funding
Conflicts of Interest
References
- Moodie, R.; Stuckler, D.; Monteiro, C.; Sheron, N.; Neal, B.; Thamarangsi, T.; Lincoln, P.; Casswell, S. Profits and pandemics: Prevention of harmful effects of tobacco, alcohol, and ultra-processed food and drink industries. Lancet 2013, 381, 670–679. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Forouzanfar, M.H.; Alexander, L.; Anderson, H.R.; Bachman, V.F.; Biryukov, S.; Brauer, M.; Burnett, R.; Casey, D.; Coates, M.M.; Cohen, A.; et al. Global, regional, and national comparative risk assessment of 79 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks in 188 countries, 1990-2013: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013. Lancet 2015, 386, 2287–2323. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Pulker, C.E.; Trapp, G.S.A.; Scott, J.A.; Pollard, C.M. What are the position and power of supermarkets in the Australian food system, and the implications for public health? A systematic scoping review. Obes. Rev. 2018, 19, 198–218. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry. Foodmap: An Analysis of the Australian Food Supply Chain; Commonwealth of Australia: Canberra, Australia, 2012.
- Sacks, G.; Swinburn, B.; Kraak, V.; Downs, S.; Walker, C.; Barquera, S.; Friel, S.; Hawkes, C.; Kelly, B.; Kumanyika, S.; et al. A proposed approach to monitor private-sector policies and practices related to food environments, obesity and non-communicable disease prevention. Obes. Rev. 2013, 14, 38–48. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed] [Green Version]
- Swinburn, B.; Sacks, G.; Vandevijvere, S.; Kumanyika, S.; Lobstein, T.; Neal, B.; Barquera, S.; Friel, S.; Hawkes, C.; Kelly, B. INFORMAS (International Network for Food and Obesity/non-communicable diseases Research, Monitoring and Action Support): Overview and key principles. Obes. Rev. 2013, 14, 1–12. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- National Health and Medical Research Council. Australian Dietary Guidelines; National Health and Medical Research Council: Canberra, Australia, 2013.
- Ni Mhurchu, C.; Brown, R.; Jiang, Y.; Eyles, H.; Dunford, E.; Neal, B. Nutrient profile of 23 596 packaged supermarket foods and non-alcoholic beverages in Australia and New Zealand. Public Health Nutr. 2016, 19, 401–408. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Thornton, L.E.; Cameron, A.J.; McNaughton, S.A.; Waterlander, W.E.; Sodergren, M.; Svastisalee, C.; Blanchard, L.; Liese, A.D.; Battersby, S.; Carter, M.-A.; et al. Does the availability of snack foods in supermarkets vary internationally? Int. J. Behav. Nutr. Phys. Activ. 2013, 10, 56. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Hastings, G. Why corporate power is a public health priority. BMJ 2012, 345, e5124. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Hawkes, C. Food packaging: The medium is the message. Public Health Nutr. 2010, 13, 297–299. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Abrams, K.M.; Evans, C.; Duff, B.R.L. Ignorance is bliss. How parents of preschool children make sense of front-of-package visuals and claims on food. Appetite 2015, 87, 20–29. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Mehta, K.; Phillips, C.; Ward, P.; Coveney, J.; Handsley, E.; Carter, P. Marketing foods to children through product packaging: Prolific, unhealthy and misleading. Public Health Nutr. 2012, 15, 1763–1770. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Chapman, K.; Nicholas, P.; Banovic, D.; Supramaniam, R. The extent and nature of food promotion directed to children in Australian supermarkets. Health Promot. Int. 2006, 21, 331–339. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed] [Green Version]
- Harris, J.L.; LoDolce, M.E.; Schwartz, M.B. Encouraging big food to do the right thing for children’s health: A case study on using research to improve marketing of sugary cereals. Crit. Public Health 2014, 25, 320–332. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Elliott, C.D. Packaging fun: Analyzing supermarket food messages targeted at children. Can. J. Commun. 2012, 37, 303–318. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Harris, J.L.; Pomeranz, J.L.; Lobstein, T.; Brownell, K.D. A crisis in the marketplace: How food marketing contributes to childhood obesity and what can be done. Ann. Rev. Public Health 2009, 30, 211–225. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- World Health Organization. Report of the Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity; World Health Organization: Geneva, Switzerland, 2016. [Google Scholar]
- Australian Bureau of Statistics. Australian Health Survey: Nutrition First Results—Foods and Nutrients, 2011–12, Cat. No. 4364.0.55.007. Available online: http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/mf/4364.0.55.007?OpenDocument (accessed on 8 October 2015).
- Kelly, B.; Chapman, K.; Hardy, L.L.; King, L.; Farrell, L. Parental awareness and attitudes of food marketing to children: A community attitudes survey of parents in New South Wales, Australia. J. Paediatr. Child Health 2009, 45, 493–497. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Campbell, K.J.; Crawford, D.A.; Hesketh, K.D. Australian parents’ views on their 5–6-year-old children’s food choices. Health Promot. Int. 2007, 22, 11–18. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Pulker, C.E.; Scott, J.A.; Pollard, C.M. Ultra-processed family foods in Australia: Nutrition claims, health claims and marketing techniques. Public Health Nutr. 2018, 21, 38–48. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- McKeon, N. Food Security Governance: Empowering Communities, Regulating Corporations; Routledge: London, UK, 2015. [Google Scholar]
- James, S.W.; Friel, S.; Lawrence, M.A.; Hoek, A.C.; Pearson, D. Inter-sectoral action to support healthy and environmentally sustainable food behaviours: A study of sectoral knowledge, governance and implementation opportunities. Sustain. Sci. 2017, 13. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Department of Health. Front-of-Pack Labelling Updates. Available online: http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/foodsecretariat-front-of-pack-labelling-1 (accessed on 17 February 2016).
- Department of Health. Healthy Food Partnership Executive Committee Communique. 26 August 2016. Available online: http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/B0653147363CEF33CA257FAD00823950/$File/Healthy%20Food%20Partnership%20Communique%20Aug%202016.pdf (accessed on 29 August 2016).
- Capewell, S.; Capewell, A. An effectiveness hierarchy of preventive interventions: Neglected paradigm or self-evident truth? J. Public Health-UK 2017, 1–9. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Hoek, J.; Jones, S.C. Regulation, public health and social marketing: A behaviour change trinity. J. Soc. Mark. 2011, 1, 32–44. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Kanter, R.; Vanderlee, L.; Vandevijvere, S. Front-of-package nutrition labelling policy: Global progress and future directions. Public Health Nutr. 2018, 1–10. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Department of Health. Health Star Rating: Calculator and Artwork. Available online: http://www.healthstarrating.gov.au/internet/healthstarrating/publishing.nsf/content/Calculator (accessed on 9 May 2016).
- Sacks, G.; Mialon, M.; Vandevijvere, S.; Trevena, H.; Snowdon, W.; Crino, M.; Swinburn, B. Comparison of food industry policies and commitments on marketing to children and product (re)formulation in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. Crit. Public Health 2015, 25, 299–319. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Australian Food and Grocery Council. Responsible Children’s Marketing Initiative. Available online: http://www.afgc.org.au/our-expertise/industry-codes/advertising-to-children/ (accessed on 29 May 2016).
- Boyland, E.J.; Harris, J.L. Regulation of food marketing to children: Are statutory or industry self-governed systems effective? Public Health Nutr. 2017, 20, 761–764. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Becker-Olsen, K.L.; Cudmore, B.A.; Hill, R.P. The impact of perceived corporate social responsibility on consumer behavior. J. Bus. Res. 2006, 59, 46–53. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
- Kraak, V.I.; Story, M. An accountability evaluation for the industry’s responsible use of brand mascots and licensed media characters to market a healthy diet to American children. Obes. Rev. 2015, 16, 433–453. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Dorfman, L.; Cheyne, A.; Friedman, L.C.; Wadud, A.; Gottlieb, M. Soda and tobacco industry corporate social responsibility campaigns: How do they compare? PLoS Med. 2012, 9, e1001241. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Sacks, G.; Robinson, E.; Cameron, A. INFORMAS. Inside Our Supermarkets: Australia. Assessment of Company Policies and Commitments Related to Obesity Prevention and Nutrition; Deakin University: Melbourne, Australia, 2018. [Google Scholar]
- Sacks, G.; Robinson, E. INFORMAS. Inside Our Food and Beverage Manufacturers: Australia. Assessment of Company Policies and Commitments Related to Obesity Prevention and Nutrition; Deakin University: Melbourne, Australia, 2018. [Google Scholar]
- Richards, Z.; Thomas, S.L.; Randle, M.; Pettigrew, S. Corporate social responsibility programs of Big Food in Australia: A content analysis of industry documents. Aust. N. Z. J. Public Health 2015, 39, 550–556. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Richards, Z.; Phillipson, L. Are Big Food’s corporate social responsibility strategies valuable to communities? A qualitative study with parents and children. Public Health Nutr. 2017, 1–9. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Blewett, N.; Goddard, N.; Pettigrew, S.; Reynolds, C.; Yeatman, H. Labelling Logic—The Final Report of the Review of Food Labelling Law and Policy; Commonwealth of Australia: Canberra, Australia, 2011.
- Nestle. The Nestlé Corporate Business Principles. Available online: https://www.nestle.com/sites/default/files/asset-library/documents/library/documents/corporate_governance/corporate-business-principles-en.pdf (accessed on 11 September 2019).
- Kellogg’s. Corporate Responsibility Report 2014. Nourishing Families So They Can Flourish and Thrive. Available online: http://crreport.kelloggcompany.com/reports (accessed on 11 September 2019).
- Sanitarium. Our Promise. Available online: http://www.sanitarium.com.au/about-us/our-promise (accessed on 11 February 2016).
- Woolworths. Corporate Responsibility. Available online: http://www.woolworthslimited.com.au/page/A_Trusted_Company/Corporate_Responsibility/ (accessed on 11 February 2016).
- Woolworths. Woolworths and Jamie Oliver to Inspire a Healthier Australia. Available online: http://www.woolworths.com.au/wps/wcm/connect/website/woolworths/about+us/woolworths-news/jamie+oliver (accessed on 26 August 2015).
- Baum, F. The New Public Health, 4th ed.; South Melbourne, Victoria Oxford University Press: Docklands, VIC, Australia, 2016. [Google Scholar]
- Andrews, T. What is social constructivism? Grounded Theory Rev. 2012, 11, 39–46. [Google Scholar]
- Kitzinger, J. Qualitative research. Introducing focus groups. BMJ 1995, 311, 299–302. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Draper, A.; Swift, J.A. Qualitative research in nutrition and dietetics: Data collection issues. J. Hum. Nutr. Diet. 2011, 24, 3–12. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Tong, A.; Sainsbury, P.; Craig, J. Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ): A 32-item checklist for interviews and focus groups. Int. J. Qual. Health Care 2007, 19, 349–357. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Australian Bureau of Statistics. Estimated Resident Population by Single Year of Age, Western Australia [table 55]. In Australian Demographic Statistics, Dec 2011 Cat. No.: 3101.0. Available online: http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/[email protected]/DetailsPage/3101.0Dec%202011?OpenDocument (accessed on 8 October 2015).
- Morrison-Beedy, D.; Côté-Arsenault, D.; Feinstein, N.F. Maximizing results with focus groups: Moderator and analysis issues. Appl. Nurs. Res. 2001, 14, 48–53. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Hesketh, K.; Waters, E.; Green, J.; Salmon, L.; Williams, J. Healthy eating, activity and obesity prevention: A qualitative study of parent and child perceptions in Australia. Health Promot. Int. 2005, 20, 19–26. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Colucci, E. “Focus groups can be fun”: The use of activity-oriented questions in focus group discussions. Qual. Health Res. 2007, 17, 1422. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Thomas, D.R. A general inductive approach for analyzing qualitative evaluation data. Am. J. Eval. 2006, 27, 237–246. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Garriga, E.; Melé, D. Corporate social responsibility theories: Mapping the territory. J. Bus. Ethics 2004, 53, 51–71. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Maubach, N.; Hoek, J.; McCreanor, T. An exploration of parents’ food purchasing behaviours. Appetite 2009, 53, 297–302. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Birch, L.L.; Fisher, J.A. Appetite and Eating Behavior in Children. Pediatr. Clin. 1995, 42, 931–953. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Patrick, H.; Nicklas, T.A.; Hughes, S.O.; Morales, M. The benefits of authoritative feeding style: Caregiver feeding styles and children’s food consumption patterns. Appetite 2005, 44, 243–249. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Shloim, N.; Edelson, L.R.; Martin, N.; Hetherington, M.M. Parenting Styles, Feeding Styles, Feeding Practices, and Weight Status in 4–12 Year-Old Children: A Systematic Review of the Literature. Front. Psychol. 2015, 6. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Bawden, D.; Robinson, L. The dark side of information: Overload, anxiety and other paradoxes and pathologies. J. Inf. Sci. 2009, 35, 180–191. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Provencher, V.; Jacob, R. Impact of Perceived Healthiness of Food on Food Choices and Intake. Curr. Obes. Rep. 2016, 1–7. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Velardo, S.; Drummond, M. Understanding parental health literacy and food related parenting practices. Health Soc. Rev. 2013, 22, 137–150. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Guthrie, J.; Mancino, L.; Lin, C.T.J. Nudging consumers toward better food choices: Policy approaches to changing food consumption behaviors. Psychol. Mark. 2015, 32, 501–511. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Jabs, J.; Devine, C.M. Time scarcity and food choices: An overview. Appetite 2006, 47, 196–204. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Russell, C.G.; Worsley, A.; Liem, D.G. Parents’ food choice motives and their associations with children’s food preferences. Public Health Nutr. 2014, 18, 1018–1027. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Bettman, J.R.; Luce, M.F.; Payne, J.W. Constructive consumer choice processes. J. Consum. Res. 1998, 25, 187–217. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Department of Health. Health Star Rating System. Available online: http://healthstarrating.gov.au/internet/healthstarrating/publishing.nsf/Content/About-health-stars (accessed on 20 July 2015).
- Department of Health. Health Star Rating Campaign Helps Shoppers Make Healthier Food Choices. Available online: http://healthstarrating.gov.au/internet/healthstarrating/publishing.nsf/Content/news-20150907 (accessed on 16 October 2015).
- Van Kleef, E.; Dagevos, H. The growing role of front-of-pack nutrition profile labeling: A consumer perspective on key issues and controversies. Crit. Rev. Food Sci. Nutr. 2015, 55, 291–303. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Pollard, C.M.; Daly, A.; Moore, M.; Binns, C.W. Public say food regulatory policies to improve health in Western Australia are important: Population survey results. Aust. N. Z. J. Public Health 2013, 37, 475–482. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Coveney, J. Food and trust in Australia: Building a picture. Public Health Nutr. 2008, 11, 237–245. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Food Standards Australia New Zealand. Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code—Schedule 4—Nutrition, health and related claims. In F2016C00189; Food Standards Australia New Zealand, Ed.; Federal Register of Legislation: Canberra, Australia, 2016. [Google Scholar]
- Hodgkins, C.; Barnett, J.; Wasowicz-Kirylo, G.; Stysko-Kunkowska, M.; Gulcan, Y.; Kustepeli, Y.; Akgungor, S.; Chryssochoidis, G.; Fernandez-Celemin, L.; Storcksdieck genannt Bonsmann, S.; et al. Understanding how consumers categorise nutritional labels: A consumer derived typology for front-of-pack nutrition labelling. Appetite 2012, 59, 806–817. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Chandon, P. How package design and packaged-based marketing claims lead to overeating. Appl. Econ. Perspect. Policy 2013, 35, 7–31. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Woolworths. Can I Get more Detailed Product Information before I Buy a Product? Available online: https://help.woolworths.com.au/content/can-i-get-more-detailed-product-information-before-i-buy-a-product/ (accessed on 3 May 2016).
- Lederman, J. Online Sales of Food and the Need for the Regulators to Catch up. Available online: http://www.foodlegal.com.au/bulletin/articles/2014-11/online_sales_of_food_and_the_need_for_the_regulators_to_catch_up/ (accessed on 11 September 2019).
- Dixon, J. Authority, power and value in contemporary industrial food systems. Int. J. Sociol. Agric. Food 2003, 11, 31–39. [Google Scholar]
- Hattersley, L.; Dixon, J. Supermarkets, food systems and public health: Facing the challenges. In Food Security, Nutrition and Sustainability; Lawrence, G., Lyons, K., Wallington, T., Eds.; Earthscan: London, UK, 2010; pp. 188–203. [Google Scholar]
- Woolworths. Healthy Bites. Available online: https://www.woolworths.com.au/Shop/Browse/pantry-international-health-food/healthy-bites (accessed on 27 June 2016).
- Coles. Healthier Choices. Available online: http://shop.coles.com.au/online/national/healthy-living/healthier-choices (accessed on 27 June 2016).
- Hawkes, C.; Smith, T.G.; Jewell, J.; Wardle, J.; Hammond, R.A.; Friel, S.; Thow, A.M.; Kain, J. Smart food policies for obesity prevention. Lancet 2015, 385, 2410–2421. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Pulker, C.E.; Trapp, G.S.A.; Scott, J.A.; Pollard, C.M. Global supermarkets’ corporate social responsibility commitments to public health: A content analysis. Glob. Health 2018, 14, 121. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Bamford, V. UK Supermarket Sainsbury’s Extends Ban on Multibuys to Potato Chips Aisle. Available online: http://www.bakeryandsnacks.com/Markets/UK-chain-Sainsbury-s-extends-ban-on-multibuys-to-the-crisps-aisle?utm_source=AddThis_twitter&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=SocialMedia#.VsND0Qt2Zx4.twitter (accessed on 17 February 2016).
- Collinson, P. Tesco to Stop Selling Lunchbox-Size Sugary Ribena and Capri-Sun. Available online: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/jul/28/tesco-stop-selling-childrens-high-sugar-drinks-ribena-capri-sun (accessed on 11 May 2016).
- Guiding Stars. Our Partners. Available online: http://guidingstars.com/partners/ (accessed on 27 June 2016).
- Guiding Stars Licensing Company. Guiding Stars. Nutritious Choices Made Simple. Available online: http://guidingstars.ca/ (accessed on 15 July 2016).
- Cullerton, K.; Donnet, T.; Lee, A.; Gallegos, D. Exploring power and influence in nutrition policy in Australia. Obes. Rev. 2016, 17, 1218–1225. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
- Carey, R.; Caraher, M.; Lawrence, M.; Friel, S. Opportunities and challenges in developing a whole-of-government national food and nutrition policy: Lessons from Australia’s National Food Plan. Public Health Nutr. 2016, 19, 3–14. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Jones, A.; Magnusson, R.; Swinburn, B.; Webster, J.; Wood, A.; Sacks, G.; Neal, B. Designing a Healthy Food Partnership: Lessons from the Australian Food and Health Dialogue. BMC Public Health 2016, 16, 651. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Vallgårda, S. Childhood obesity policies—Mighty concerns, meek reactions. Obes. Rev. 2017, 19, 295–301. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Food Company 1 | Importance of Nutrition and Health |
---|---|
Nestle [42] | Nestle’s 10 principles of business operations places nutrition health and wellness first. “Our core aim is to enhance the quality of consumers’ lives every day, everywhere by offering tastier and healthier food and beverage choices and encouraging a healthy lifestyle. We express this via our corporate proposition Good Food, Good Life.” |
Kellogg’s [43] | Kellogg’s seeks to nourish families so that they can flourish and thrive. “We believe nutrition literacy is crucial in helping consumers make informed food choices for themselves and their families. Through on-pack labeling and website content, we provide comprehensive nutrition and ingredient information, including details on calories, fiber, fats, sugar and other nutrients, for all of our foods.” |
Sanitarium [44] | Sanitarium’s promise to consumers: “One of Sanitarium’s core philosophies is truly nourishing food, and each Sanitarium product is designed to meet our high nutritional and food appeal standards. We invest significantly in providing the community with free nutritional information and advice through our team of qualified nutritionists.” |
Woolworths [45] | Woolworths’ corporate information does not include commitments on health and nutrition. However, when announcing their partnership with Jamie Oliver [46], they stated: “The partnership will focus on bringing better, healthier, affordable fresh food to life for everyday Australians, giving them the information and confidence to prepare great tasting fresh meals at home.” |
Sample Characteristics | Total |
---|---|
N = 37 | |
Gender | |
Male | 4 |
Female | 33 |
Age group | |
18–25 years | 2 |
26–35 years | 13 |
36–50 years | 22 |
Socioeconomic status | |
Low | 14 |
Medium to high | 23 |
Age of youngest child | |
Preschool (2–4 years) | 23 |
School age (5–8 years) | 14 |
Gender of youngest child | |
Male | 21 |
Female | 16 |
Number of children | |
1 | 9 |
2 | 21 |
3 | 6 |
>3 | 1 |
Highest level of education | |
Year 12 | 5 |
Trade/diploma or TAFE course | 15 |
University Bachelor degree of higher | 17 |
Marital status | |
Married | 27 |
Defacto | 8 |
Divorced/ separated/widowed | 2 |
Employment status | |
Self-employed | 5 |
Employed part-time | 13 |
Employed full-time | 5 |
Home duties | 11 |
Student | 1 |
Questions | Notes to Guide the Discussion | Research Question Addressed |
---|---|---|
1. Introductions and icebreaker. | Lead the introductions, providing an opportunity for the participants to meet each other and feel more comfortable about joining in the group discussion. | |
2. Looking at some examples of foods from the supermarket, do you recognise any of them? | RQ1 | |
3. Thinking about shopping in your regular supermarket, what information do you use to decide if foods meet you or your children’s needs? | If health isn’t brought up by participants, return to this question after asking Q4 and ask: Where do you get the information you need to decide if the foods are healthy? | RQ1 |
4. Who is responsible for providing that information? | Do food companies or supermarkets have any responsibility? If health isn’t brought up by participants, return to this question and ask: Who is responsible for providing you with the information you need when shopping, to decide if foods are healthy? How do you think they are doing? | RQ2 |
5. Is there anything you really like about the information food companies put on food packaging? | Is there anything you really don’t like? | RQ1 |
6. Returning to the examples of foods from the supermarket, can you sort these foods into groups of similar products? | Ask the group to sort the products without giving them any criteria, to explore how they categorise the foods. If health isn’t used as the main sorting characteristic, ask the group to sort the foods again, this time based on perceived healthiness, and talk about the reasons why they put them into the selected category. | RQ1, RQ2 |
7. In your opinion, is there anything that food companies or supermarkets should be doing to help you choose healthy foods for your children? | RQ3 |
© 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Share and Cite
Pulker, C.E.; Chew Ching Li, D.; Scott, J.A.; Pollard, C.M. The Impact of Voluntary Policies on Parents’ Ability to Select Healthy Foods in Supermarkets: A Qualitative Study of Australian Parental Views. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16, 3377. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16183377
Pulker CE, Chew Ching Li D, Scott JA, Pollard CM. The Impact of Voluntary Policies on Parents’ Ability to Select Healthy Foods in Supermarkets: A Qualitative Study of Australian Parental Views. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2019; 16(18):3377. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16183377
Chicago/Turabian StylePulker, Claire Elizabeth, Denise Chew Ching Li, Jane Anne Scott, and Christina Mary Pollard. 2019. "The Impact of Voluntary Policies on Parents’ Ability to Select Healthy Foods in Supermarkets: A Qualitative Study of Australian Parental Views" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 16, no. 18: 3377. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16183377