Reducing obesity requires a change in what we eat and how we eat. The ‘Foodscape’ study aimed to identify effective interventions to change the meals offered by takeaways, test them in the real world and evaluate their potential for improving diets and /or reducing obesity.
A review of the limited information available found that calorie labelling and rewarding food-outlets with healthy eating accreditation were two of the most common interventions tested. Businesses were positive about interventions when they came at no extra cost and did not change perceived value taste and portion size for the customer. People who delivered interventions to increase healthier food choices in independent food outlets told us that: takeaways were particularly challenging but worthwhile targets; interventions should be tailored to takeaway types; and appreciate the need to maintain profit. Engaging suppliers, as well as those that drive consumer demand was also worth exploring. Using the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey we found that about a fifth of people ate takeaway meals at home once a week or more and this was most common in those aged 19–29 years, therefore interventions may be more effective if tailored to and targeted at those aged under 30.
Building on this work we identified, developed and sought to test small scale interventions:
1) We found that 5 hole compared to 17 hole shakers delivered 66% less salt in the laboratory and there was a small difference in the salt content of meals from shops using the different shakers when similar portion sizes were compared. Additional work will be required to substantially reduce the salt content of takeaway food.
2) We worked with a Local Authority who delivered a “Healthy Takeaway Masterclass” with staff from 18 takeaways. Each takeaway made at least one ‘pledge’ and 15 businesses reported achieving at least one pledge. Changes requiring minimal effort and cost were most popular (e.g. reducing sugar or salt, or using semi-skimmed instead of whole milk). We concluded that this intervention was feasible but uptake was low (about 10%). Further training is planned by the Local Authority with opportunities for building on these findings.
3) We found that a supplier-led intervention to promote smaller portion sizes (approximately half the weight of standard) was acceptable to traders and customers and by March 2017 5,000 cases (50,000 boxes) for ‘lite bite’ portions had been distributed to 250 shops (2.5 % of all UK shops).