Implications
Healthy Stores 2020 report | Healthy Stores 2020 flyer
All participating Store Directors were presented with the findings of Healthy Stores 2020 and additional information on sales of sugar from food and drinks in their store.
In consultation with these Directors and all Directors in the communities they serve, ALPA has converted their stores to the Healthy Stores 2020 strategy and integrated the strategy in to their nutrition policy, based on the public health and business relevant gains demonstrated by this novel study.
Retail competition however impedes complete implementation of the 7-point strategy. Tackling this will require a collective agreement by retailers in these communities with retail competition to implement the full strategy and/or use of government policy power or other forms of regulation.
Working with the Store Committees and ALPA board, the Healthy Stores 2020 strategy involves:
- No promotional activity on discretionary food and beverages.
- No misleading promotional activity.
- No visible availability of discretionary food and beverages at the counter and in high traffic areas with substitute availability of healthier products.
- Reduced facings of table sugar, confectionery and sweet biscuits, substituting with healthier products.
- Reduced refrigerator facings for targeted beverages, substituting with healthier drinks.
- Soft drink beverage units of >600ml not permitted in fridges. *
- Floor stickers warning the amount of sugar per 1.25L of soft drink.
- Shelf stripping warning high sugar.
- Floor stickers promoting water as the healthiest choice.
* Except in stores with close-by food retail competition
Healthy Stores 2020 as far as we understand is a world first to restrict merchandising of unhealthy food/drinks. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in Australia are fully aware of the impact of the environment on people's diets and health. We hope the boldness of ALPA and success of Healthy Stores 2020 will encourage the Australian retail sector to join ALPA and store directors to transform Australia's food retail sector to be health-enabling.
The results of the Healthy Stores 2020 study have been made available to the public and disseminated to key stakeholders.
An infographic and booklet tell the story of Healthy Stores 2020 .
Healthy Stores 2020 evidence was presented to 30 store directors, store managers, other food retailers, nutrition practitioners, government policy officers and academics at a policy options workshop. The aim of this workshop was to co-design policy actions which are acceptable, effective and feasible to inform store policy to create healthy stores in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. This work is being led by Dr Megan Ferguson, University of Queensland, and has resulted in a series of best-practice policy options.
Funding is being sought to support the uptake of the Healthy Stores 2020 strategy and other best practice policy across remote Australia for the benefit of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Healthy Stores 2020 shines a light on the uniqueness of the remote food retail sector and shows how they are considering business gains in the context of social good. To disseminate the Healthy Stores 2020 story further and highlight other remote store initiatives that are working to improve community health and wellbeing, the Healthy Stores 2020 research collaborative is hosting The HEALTHY STORiES = GOOD FOOD live event.
The HEALTHY STORiES = GOOD FOOD live event in 2021 will be an opportunity to share further the learnings from Healthy Stores 2020 and other great stories improving health outcomes for communities through working with stores across remote Australia.
