Dietary Patterns Derived from UK Supermarket Transaction Data with Nutrient and Socioeconomic Profiles

Abstract

Poor diet is a leading cause of death in the United Kingdom (UK) and around the world. Methods to collect quality dietary information at scale for population research are time consuming, expensive and biased. Novel data sources offer potential to overcome these challenges and better understand population dietary patterns. In this research we will use 12 months of supermarket sales transaction data, from 2016, for primary shoppers residing in the Yorkshire and Humber region of the UK (n = 299,260), to identify dietary patterns and profile these according to their nutrient composition and the sociodemographic characteristics of the consumer purchasing with these patterns. Results identified seven dietary purchase patterns that we named: Fruity; Meat alternatives; Carnivores; Hydrators; Afternoon tea; Beer and wine lovers; and Sweet tooth. On average the daily energy intake of loyalty card holders -who may buy as an individual or for a household- is less than the adult reference intake, but this varies according to dietary purchase pattern. In general loyalty card holders meet the recommended salt intake, do not purchase enough carbohydrates, and purchase too much fat and protein, but not enough fibre. The dietary purchase pattern containing the highest amount of fibre (as an indicator of healthiness) is bought by the least deprived customers and the pattern with lowest fibre by the most deprived. In conclusion, supermarket sales data offer significant potential for understanding population dietary patterns.

Dietary Fibre Intervention for Gut Microbiota, Sleep, and Mental Health in Adults with Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Scoping Review

“…The mean fibre intake among U.K. adults (19–65 years) was 19 g/day based on reports in 2015 and 2018/2019 [ 105 ], where only 9% of adults consumed the daily recommended amount of fibre (30 g) [ 106 ]. Another U.K. research using data of supermarket sales transaction of the whole year of 2016 ( n = 299,260) found out that the average fibre intake was 16 g/day, where the most, 21 g/day, was seen in people with “fruity” dietary pattern (defined as 7 of the top 10 purchased items being types of fruit) [ 107 ]. Among U.S. adults (>19 years of age), dietary fibre intake in 2009 was 13.7 g/day in females and 17.6 g/day in males, with only 6% and <3% meeting the AI recommendation, respectively [ 108 ].…”

Exploring the Geographic Variation in Fruit and Vegetable Purchasing Behaviour Using Supermarket Transaction Data

“…The observed association between fruit and vegetable purchasing and area deprivation concurs with research into the geography of dietary patterns based on survey data, which found a higher prevalence of the vegetable-rich ‘health conscious’ and ‘high diversity vegetarian’ dietary patterns in suburban areas with lower deprivation [ 31 , 59 ]. Using transaction records, fruit and vegetable purchases were important determinants of the observed ‘Fruity’ and ‘Meat Alternative’ dietary patterns, which were more prevalent among customers in the most affluent deciles [ 36 ]. Yet, it is possible that the observed deprivation pattern may be confounded by differences in household composition, for example the mix of adults and children.…”

“…Eligible customers made at least ten transactions during 2016, which included a minimum of seven out of 16 food categories, developed from categories captured by the Living Costs and Food Survey (LCFS) [ 37 ] ( Table 1 ). The inclusion criteria are described in more detail elsewhere [ 36 ], but briefly they aim to capture ‘primary’ shoppers who do the majority of their food shopping with the study retailer. The median shopping frequency of our sample is 53 occasions annually (interquartile range 33–82) [ 36 ].…”

“…The inclusion criteria are described in more detail elsewhere [ 36 ], but briefly they aim to capture ‘primary’ shoppers who do the majority of their food shopping with the study retailer. The median shopping frequency of our sample is 53 occasions annually (interquartile range 33–82) [ 36 ]. Thus, we exclude customers with infrequent purchases from a limited range of food categories, on the basis that their purchases are unlikely to represent their overall diet.…”

“…Considering purchases as an upstream behaviour for consumption, supermarket transaction records have been proposed as complementary to dietary surveys [ 32 ], with the capacity to provide additional insight as a result of their granularity. Automatically generated electronic food purchase data have the potential to offer large volumes of geocoded information about household food and nutrition availability [ 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 ]. Using transaction records for loyalty card holders at a UK supermarket chain, this paper explores small-area and demographic variations in fruit and vegetable purchases (including fresh, frozen and dried varieties) that exist within a single city (Leeds, England).…”