Food Standards Agency
Sunday 5 July 2009
Safer food better business banner
AZ-Directory
What's NewRSS
What is RSS?Listen
Listen to this siteTuesday 5 February 2008
shopping trolleys
The Food Standards Agency Scotland has today published a new study, which looks at the availability of affordable healthy food across Scotland.
Entitled Accessing healthy food: A national assessment and sentinel mapping study of food retailing in Scotland, it was commissioned by the Agency and undertaken between 2005 - 2007 by the Centre for the Study of Retailing in Scotland at The University of Edinburgh, led by Prof David Marshall and Prof John Dawson.
A map of food shops and supermarkets in Scotland was constructed using Geographic Information System techniques. Nine sample areas across Scotland were selected on the basis of urban-rural location and affluent-deprived conditions.
A Healthy Eating Indicator Shopping Basket was designed to investigate the availability and cost of healthy foods in these nine areas. The 'basket' was made up of 35 items drawn from the five major food groups and included fresh fruit and vegetables, potatoes, baked beans, porridge oats, wholemeal breads, rice, oven chips, meat and fish and some low fat fresh dairy produce.
The results show a very complex picture, but in general the provision of food shops selling a range of healthy food was not found to be a major issue. A wide range of prices was identified for the 'shopping basket'. The size of the food shop was more important than geographical location in influencing the availability and price of the healthy foods from the 'basket'.
The study underlines the importance of finding ways to assist small general food shops to provide affordable, healthy foods and will help inform policy development in Scotland. FSAS is currently working in partnership with the Scottish Government Neighbourhood Shops project to develop strategies to help small food shops to provide a good range of healthy foods.
The study is being presented at the Food and Health Alliance Conference in Edinburgh today.
The full report can be obtained in CD format from the FSAS library. Contact sandra.cruickshank@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk for details.
Back to topDownload pdf
(pdf 426KB) Food and Health AllianceFind out what our other sites have to offer