Supermarket Healthy Options Project : Strategies to Promote Healthier Food Purchases : A Supermarket Intervention Trial. The Effect of tailored nutrition education and price discounts on the nutrient content of supermarket foods purchased by main household shoppers

Unhealthy diet plays a role in 11,000 deaths every year in New Zealand and healthier diets are important in preventing common diseases including heart disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes. Most of our food is bought at supermarkets so choosing healthier foods at supermarkets is likely to have important health benefits. The Supermarket Healthy Options Project (SHOP) assessed two ways of promoting healthier food purchases in supermarkets: price discounts and tailored nutrition education. 1,104 PAK ’n SAVE customers were randomised to one of four groups: (1) price discounts on specified 'healthier' food products, (2) culturally appropriate tailored nutrition education based on usual supermarket food purchases, (3) both price discounts and tailored education, and (4) control (no intervention). Effects on shopping habits were measured using individulised barcode scanner data. This research provides important information about two promising ways to improve our population’s diet.