Food & Health Alliance

The Scottish Grocers’ Federation healthyliving Programme aims to improve the eating habits of people living in Scotland by encouraging convenience stores to stock more fresh fruit and vegetables and display them more prominently.

So far more than 600 local stores have joined the scheme, which has just completed its third phase, and on average they have enjoyed 10-20% year on year increases in fruit and veg sales. A fourth phase, under the government’s new slogan Take Life On, is due to start shortly.

The programme began in 2004 as the Neighbourhood Shop Healthy Living Programme and was set up by Robert Wiseman Dairies in partnership with the Scottish Government and the country’s five main convenience store operators.

A successful pilot

A successful pilot scheme between April and October led to a one-year second phase, from 2005-2006, involving 197 stores that were encouraged to promote fruit and vegetables in their stores and deliver healthier choices. There was a strong emphasis on enrolling shops from more deprived areas of the country.

A total of 30 stores were also selected for detailed data collection on topics such as customer awareness of increased choice and perceptions of the quality of the produce.

This second phase was a big success. Botterills, for example, which owns 45 convenience stores across Scotland, witnessed a 19% rise in sales of fresh produce over the year.

The third, three-year phase of the programme was launched in December 2006 and continued until 2009. More than half the participants in this phase, which is backed by £200,000 from the Scottish Government, are operating in low income areas. All stores involved also received a training manual and CD Rom to help them train their staff about maintaining and presenting fresh food.

As a result of the third phase more than 600 stores are now involved in the programme, representing around one million transactions each week.

In addition to the sales increases, research suggests local shoppers are now eating more healthily. Those questioned earlier this year reported that on average they now ate fresh fruit 6.4 times a week – an 18.5% increase compared with three years ago. They eat fresh vegetables 6.3 times a week – up 14.5% on three years ago.

The programme was recently included in the Scottish Government’s action plan to improve diet, increase physical activity and tackle obesity. It was also the model for the English Change4Life healthy living programme.

Take life on

The expected fourth phase will operate under the Scottish Government’s rebranded slogan ‘Take Life On’ – a broader approach that will allow the programme to operate across a wider canvas than previously.

It is hoped, for example, that the next phase will:

• Extend its scope to chilled, frozen and suitable ambient produce
• Make links with schools to develop healthier snacks and meals
• Work with local community projects to make more affordable healthy foods available in low income areas
• Increase the number of participating stores to 800
• Develop training initiatives to help support retailers.