Abstract:
There is increasing evidence that our diet is implicated in
several common diseases including coronary heart disease, the
single largest cause of death in Britain. The development and
implementation of nutrition policies is seen as a way of
modifying the diet of individuals and communities with the aim
of reducing the prevalence of disease. To-date policy
implementation has concentrated on health education aimed at
the individual. The thesis suggests that this strategy has
limited effectiveness and that health workers need to consider
new strategies concerned with food availability.
The thesis proposes that the food retail sector is the 'gate
keeper' of the nation's food supply and that, po te ntially it
could do much to promote individual and community nutrition.
After analysing the various issues involved the thesis
suggests that retailers are not doing as much as they could
be, and what they are doing might be ineffective. It is
further suggested that a major obstacle to produ ci ng
strategies aimed at retailers is that no method exists for
quantifying their contributions.
It is proposed that a n e w research instrument is needed to
enable health workers to develop such strategies and monitor
their implementation. This research instrument would allow
workers to undertake an objective, reliable and quantifiable
method of analysing those areas that retailers are and are not
using to promote nutrition. The thesis hypothesises that the
ability to measure contributions might stimulate the
retailer's competitive nature to do more.
The thesis therefore proposes and pilots a nutritional quality
audit for food retailers. The audit is not a standard research
instrument and therefore requires the development of new
concepts and methods for its design. The thesis concludes by
suggesting how this new instrument might be further developed
and used to encourage food retailers to realise their
potential for promoting individual and community nutrition.
