Abstract
Introduction
Unhealthy food-retail environments present a major threat to public health. While food-retail environment interventions and policies have great potential, their implementation and effectiveness have been suboptimal thus far. Literature suggests the need for a complex systems approach, such as roadmapping, to overcome implementation challenges for interventions. This study seeks to develop a roadmap which describes how a healthier Dutch food-retail environment may be achieved in the current system.
Methods
A case study of the Dutch food-retail system was conducted. Participants were stakeholder groups in this system (government, agriculture, industry, retail, health institutions, knowledge institutions, consumer organisations). In a transition arena setting (through interviews and workshops), participants formulated milestones which they thought would contribute to their overall ‘vision’ of a healthier food-retail system, and subsequently formulated action-sequences (consisting of actions, actors to be involved, barriers, and facilitators), that would lead towards those milestones. Data were qualitatively analysed through a thematic content analysis and combined into one integrated roadmap.
Results
Eight thematic clusters were identified: 1) knowledge development (to support the other clusters, 2) education (to raise public support and pressure), 3) (self-)regulation (to incentivise change), 4) individual change (for aspiring frontrunners), and (as practical actions to change the environment) 5) product improvement, 6) pricing, 7) marketing, and 8) space planning. Each cluster contained a milestone and necessary action-sequences. Most stakeholders advocated for system-wide ‘rules’ (i.e., policies) to limit the risk of health-promoting stakeholders losing customers and income to non-health promoting competitors.
Conclusion
The roadmap details the action-sequences through which a healthier Dutch food-retail system and environments may be realized and indicates the need for greater governmental involvement in regulating the current system, which has been limited up to now. To support such involvement, the upstream cultivation of public support, and identification of targets for effective policy measures, are valuable.
Unhealthy food-retail environments present a major threat to public health. While food-retail environment interventions and policies have great potential, their implementation and effectiveness have been suboptimal thus far. Literature suggests the need for a complex systems approach, such as roadmapping, to overcome implementation challenges for interventions. This study seeks to develop a roadmap which describes how a healthier Dutch food-retail environment may be achieved in the current system.
Methods
A case study of the Dutch food-retail system was conducted. Participants were stakeholder groups in this system (government, agriculture, industry, retail, health institutions, knowledge institutions, consumer organisations). In a transition arena setting (through interviews and workshops), participants formulated milestones which they thought would contribute to their overall ‘vision’ of a healthier food-retail system, and subsequently formulated action-sequences (consisting of actions, actors to be involved, barriers, and facilitators), that would lead towards those milestones. Data were qualitatively analysed through a thematic content analysis and combined into one integrated roadmap.
Results
Eight thematic clusters were identified: 1) knowledge development (to support the other clusters, 2) education (to raise public support and pressure), 3) (self-)regulation (to incentivise change), 4) individual change (for aspiring frontrunners), and (as practical actions to change the environment) 5) product improvement, 6) pricing, 7) marketing, and 8) space planning. Each cluster contained a milestone and necessary action-sequences. Most stakeholders advocated for system-wide ‘rules’ (i.e., policies) to limit the risk of health-promoting stakeholders losing customers and income to non-health promoting competitors.
Conclusion
The roadmap details the action-sequences through which a healthier Dutch food-retail system and environments may be realized and indicates the need for greater governmental involvement in regulating the current system, which has been limited up to now. To support such involvement, the upstream cultivation of public support, and identification of targets for effective policy measures, are valuable.
| Original language | Dutch |
|---|---|
| Journal | TSG - Tijdschrift voor Gezondheidswetenschappen |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 14 Nov 2023 |