Food Environment After Implementation of a Healthy Checkout Policy

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2822077?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--XQX-nXHYobeiMMliMSwn7dPp8poTXLrKeWoEJkDnYOaMzBDpc_YNai-FxGFdeNpvjVPlOdNPrjIIX1gzj9Sb1IzFphw&_hsmi=319570921&utm_content=319570921&utm_source=hs_email Decreasing the amount of candy in the checkout aisle What’s your favorite candy to eye in the checkout aisle? Or are you more tempted by chips? In March 2021, Berkeley, Calif., became the first town in the world to implement a “healthy checkout policy,” which set standards for what items are allowed to be displayed in that high-engagement-time area within three feet of a checkout register. The policy allows only beverages without sweeteners (whether calorie-free or not) and foods with five or fewer grams of added sugars and 200 or fewer milligrams of sodium per serving in the following categories: sugar-free gum and mints, fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, yogurt or cheese, and whole grains. A recent study in JAMA Network Open showed that after one year, the increase in healthy food and beverage displays compared to cities without the policy went from 29% to 62%, suggesting that similar policies would be effective in increasing the healthfulness of store checkout areas. Don’t miss a STAT First Opinion on this topic by Anne Thorndike, a Mass Gen primary care physician not involved in the study. https://www.statnews.com/2024/08/09/small-changes-food-choice-environments-healthy-food/?utm_campaign=rss&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9u3FYV6uPwlGxvEw8H_jLafFKPDJapN8LZ8bmjlJURvDQaNxH8uE4QMta1s9Tb51aJvXpFPG1vFOwAVj-cT9qnQ-t_FQ&_hsmi=319570921