RSVP: Recommendations for Policy Change in Bodegas and Fast Food Restaurants In NYC

 

Who: 

A study was conducted from the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics on comparing the nutritional quality of the foods offered at small grocery stores (bodegas) vs. fast food restaurants

What:

Food consumed away from home accounts for half of all food expenditures.  Researchers wanted to look at the food consumed outside of restaurants.  They looked at small grocery stores in urban environments as fast food restaurants because of the amount of packaged read-to-eat items, prepared food from the deli counters, salad bars, and steam table.  Researchers of this study used the Nutrition Environment Measures Study in Restaurants Protocol.  The protocol measured the nutrition environment in restaurants.  It includes indicators of healthy food availability, as well as the presence of nutrition information, promotions, and pricing that promote healthy or unhealthy food choices.  

The evaluation of the nutrition environment of bodegas and fast food restaurants showed substantial room for improvements in the support provided for healthy eating. 

• Fast food restaurants were more likely than bodegas to provide nutrition information
• Fast food restaurants had less healthy food available, promotions, and pricing.

Recommendations for policy change included:

• Bodegas: providing more healthy entrees and posting nutrition information
• Fast Food Restaurants: Expanding healthy menu option and modifying pricing and promotions strategies to encourage healthy eating.

Where:

Researchers visited high- and low- income neighborhoods in New York City and noted any difficulties that they faced. 

Low Poverty areas: 

• Provided a better nutrition environment than those in high-poverty areas.
• Had more sandwich and coffee shops 

High Poverty areas: 

• Had more hamburger and fried-chicken restaurants

How small grocery stores affect the "restaurant environment":

• There is 10 times more bodegas than national chain fast-food restaurants
• Just as "BMI-unhealthy" as fast food restaurants.
• Provides priorities for fast food-restaurants to change pricing to reduce incentives to overeat and increase availability to healthy food

 

 

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 References: Rundle, A. (). Comparing Nutrition Environments in Bodegas and Fast-Food Restaurants. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 114, 595-602.