Assessment Of Healthy Foods Availability In Selected Supermarket In Umuahia, Abia State:- Ndidi, Princess O

ABSTRACT Excess calorie consumption and poor diet are major contributors to the obesity epidemic. Food retailers, in particular at supermarkets, are key shapers ofthe food environment which influences consumers’ diets. This study seeks to access the availability of healthy food and unhealthy food products at the retail store within two (2) supermarkets, and alsoto assess the relative availability and prominence of healthy foods (HF) versus unhealthy products (UP) in supermarkets in Umuahia, Abia state. Two retail stores using random sampling method were assessed. Food availability (cumulative linear shelf length for HF vs. UP) and prominence inside the store (location visibility) were measured based on the International Network for Food and Obesity/NCDs Research, Monitoring and Action Support (INFORMAS) protocol.Overall, the total number of healthy products classified through the in-store location are three (3) out of eight (8) in total, in supermarkets -in Umuahia,. Using prominence of location according to INFORMAS protocol guideline which has the Endcap A, Checkout side, Checkout edge, in the high prominence, The unhealthy products were available in all the selected supermarkets; however, availability of healthy items varied across supermarkets, with core and healthy having the medium percentage of (37.5%) and having no item at the shelve space making it empty, (available in 2 supermarkets), then the non-core and unhealthy having the highest availability of shelve space of 77,061cm (100%) and 42 number ofshelves (available in 2 supermarkets), The miscellaneous having the lowest availability of shelve space 0 and 0 number of shelves in the high prominence, however, in the medium prominence having the Entrance, Endcap B, Aisle, and island, availability of healthy items varied across stores, with core and healthy having the medium availability ofshelve space of 841,302cm (86.3%), which the food items are: Bread, rice and rice product without added fat, sugar or salt, noodles (Exclude fried), Bottled water (Exclude milk formulae), Fruit and fruit products without added fats, sugars and salt, non-core and unhealthy having the highest availability of shelve space of 95,056cm (9.75%) out of 974,814cm in total which the food products are High sugar and / or low fiber breakfast cereals ( > 20g sugars I 100g or < 5g dietary fibre / 100g), ice cream, iced confection and desserts. And 42 then number of shelve space. Then the miscellaneous having the lowest shelve space of38,416cm (3.94%) out of 974,814cm with the food product of baby and toddler milk formulae, and Tea and coffee (excluding sweetened powder-based teas or coffees), and 14 number of shelve space. In the low prominence with contains only the Edge according to the INFORMAS protocol guideline for retail store survey, two were available, namely: healthy and the unhealthy food products. The total shelves space at the edge of retail store is 385,056cm, the core and healthy is 35,854cm (93.1%), out of 385,056cm and the number of shelve is 48 out of 90, The non-core and unhealthy food products occupy 26,502cm (6.88%), out of 385,056cm, of shelve space, with 42 out of 90, of number of shelves. Of all food products available, 100% were Non-core and unhealthy at the check outs, while 60% and 66.6% were the core and healthy at the entrance and endcap B respectively. Confectionery and sweet biscuits were the food categories with most occurrences.