Differences in expenditure and amounts of fresh foods, fruits and vegetables, and fish purchased in urban and rural Scotland

Abstract

Objective: To quantitatively analyse expenditure on all fresh foods, fruits and vegetables (F&V) and fish across urban and rural households in Scotland. Fresh foods were chosen since, in general, they are perceived to contribute more to health than processed foods. Design: Descriptive analysis of purchase data of all foods brought into the home during 2012 from the Kantar Worldpanel database. Purchase data were restricted to fresh, unprocessed and raw foods or 'fresh to frozen' foods where freezing was part of harvesting. Total household purchases were adjusted for household size and composition. Setting: Scotland. Subjects: Households (n 2576). Results: Rural households reported the highest expenditure per person on fresh foods and F&V, but also bought the most (kilograms) of these items. There were linear trends of average prices paid with urban-rural location (P < 0·001), with average prices paid by large urban and remote rural households being £2·14/kg and £2·04/kg for fresh foods, £1·64/kg and £1·60/kg for F&V and £10·07/kg and £10·20/kg for fish, respectively, although differences were quantitatively small. Conclusions: Contrary to previous studies, purchase data show that access to and average prices of fresh foods generally, and F&V and fish specifically, are broadly similar between urban and rural areas. Therefore, the higher expenditure on these foods in rural v. urban areas is probably due to factors other than pricing and availability.

Impacts of Reducing UK Beef Consumption Using a Revised Sustainable Diets Framework

“…Chaudhary et al [2] describe food availability as being related to "ease of physical access to food" and food affordability. de Roos et al [52] found that: "Contrary to previous studies, purchase data show that access to and average prices of fresh foods generally, and F&V and fish specifically, are broadly similar between urban and rural areas". Therefore, with regards to the UK context, affordability of beef products is the issue, rather than availability.…”

The use of commercial food purchase data for public health nutrition research: A systematic review

“…Two studies conducted with Kantar data in Scotland found that households with a higher level of deprivation were less likely to achieve the revised Scottish Dietary Goals [56][57]. Another paper that used Kantar data in Scotland analysed the expenditure on fresh foods and fruits and vegetables across urban and rural households [58]. They found that rural households spent the most on fresh foods, fruits and vegetables but prices in urban locations were significantly higher, suggesting that factors other than availability and price were causing the difference [58].…”

Association between Neighborhood Food Access, Household Income, and Purchase of Snacks and Beverages in the United States

“…Since realizing that food and the broader built environment are related to the risk of incurring chronic diseases [ 1 , 2 ], investigators have conducted many studies on food access. A majority of this research [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ] has examined the access to fresh vegetables and fruits. There is limited literature on access to energy-dense and nutrient-poor (EDNP) foods, such as sugary beverages and sweet snacks.…”

“…We can better understand access to food by studying how neighborhood food access affects purchases of EDNP foods. The food purchasing literature provides, at most, moderate evidence that neighborhood food availability relates to the amount of fresh foods purchased or the food purchased as a total based on an aggregated purchasing index [ 6 , 11 , 12 , 13 ]. Because of the ubiquity of EDNP foods and their relatively low cost [ 14 , 15 ], it is not known whether people rely on the immediate neighborhood to purchase EDNP foods.…”