Sally Moore, Lecturer in Nutrition, Registered Dietitian

School of Food Science and Nutrition
University of Leeds

Digital Retail Food Environments in the UK: How healthy are they? What do we know about consumer food choice behaviours in real life?

Digital Retail Food Environments such as online supermarkets (grocery store websites) are likely to influence consumers’ food choice behaviours in many ways, including via webpage design, product promotion and information provision (labelling). This presentation will first outline research which has unpicked the nature and healthiness of online supermarket food environments in the UK, where recent Regulations have also restricted the promotion of some “less-healthy” products. Second, I will present an overview and initial findings from our collaborative “Finding Healthy Online” academic-industry research project on online supermarkets. This work has used a mixed methods approach involving eye tracking to explore food choice and store navigation behaviours during consumers selection and purchase of products in real life shopping trips. I will discuss how the findings of this research can underpin the design of healthier retail food environments and future policy and practice.

Speaker/Chair Bio:

Dr Sally Moore is a UK Registered Dietitian and Registered Nutritionist (Public Health) who works at the University of Leeds, School of Food Science and Nutrition as Lecturer in Nutrition and Programme Leader of the BSc/Msci Nutrition Programmes. Her research around nutrition policy and practice is collaborative and involves industry and health professional partners, as well as academics from different disciplines (i.e. psychology, food law). Research areas include consumers and Front of Pack Nutrition Labelling (i.e. traffic lights), Digital Food Environments, and co-production of research and resources to support healthier eating and food security with people from communities in Yorkshire, UK. Sally is the former chair of the British Dietetic Association (BDA) Public Health Specialist Group.