The food environment in Latin America: a systematic review with a focus on environments relevant to obesity and related chronic diseases

Abstract

Objective:Food environments may be contributing to the rapid increase in obesity occurring in most Latin American (LA) countries. The present study reviews literature from LA that (i) describes the food environment and policies targeting the food environment (FEP); and (ii) analytic studies that investigate associations between the FEP and dietary behaviours, overweight/obesity and obesity related chronic diseases. We focus on six dimensions of the FEP: food retail, provision, labelling, marketing, price and composition.Design:Systematic literature review. Three databases (Web of Science, SciELO, LILACS) were searched, from 1 January 1999 up to July 2017. Two authors independently selected the studies. A narrative synthesis was used to summarize, integrate and interpret findings.Setting:Studies conducted in LA countries.Participants:The search yielded 2695 articles of which eighty-four met inclusion criteria.Results:Most studies were descriptive and came from Brazil (61 %), followed by Mexico (18 %) and Guatemala (6 %). Studies were focused primarily on retail/provision (n 27), marketing (n 16) and labelling (n 15). Consistent associations between availability of fruit and vegetable markets and higher consumption of fruits and vegetables were found in cross-sectional studies. Health claims in food packaging were prevalent and mostly misleading. There was widespread use of marketing strategies for unhealthy foods aimed at children. Food prices were lower for processed relative to fresh foods. Some studies documented high sodium in industrially processed foods.Conclusions:Gaps in knowledge remain regarding policy evaluations, longitudinal food retail studies, impacts of food price on diet and effects of digital marketing on diet/health.

Review: The Consumption of Ultra-Processed Foods and Non-communicable Diseases in Latin America

“…The growing presence of UPF in grocery stores in Latin America places consumers in an environment that is challenging to navigate for several reasons (40). Firstly, relative to fresh foods, UPF tend to be sold at lower prices, an important factor for the millions of Latin Americans who are living in precarious financial situations.…”

Longitudinal changes in the retail food environment in Mexico and their association with diabetes

“…However, diabetes incidence and prevalence was found to be higher in people who live in, or move to areas with a higher density of convenience stores and fast-food outlets ( Christine et al, 2015 ; Gebreab et al, 2017 ; Mezuk et al, 2016 ). Little work has been done to assess the contribution of the retail food environment to obesity and diabetes in Latin America ( Perez-Ferrer et al, 2019 ). Research in this context is necessary because of the unique characteristics of the food environment (i.e.…”

Digital food environment of a Brazilian metropolis: food availability and marketing strategies used by delivery apps

“…To understand the reasons for these dietary changes, studies have focused on the influence of the food environment on individuals' food consumption and nutritional patterns (8,9) . The food environment is defined as the consumer's interface with the food system that encompasses the availability, affordability, convenience and desirability of foods (10)(11)(12) .…”