NEW YORK – Reducing the price of healthy foods could land more whole grains, carrots and bananas in shopping carts, even months after the discounts are removed, according to a new study.
“Traditionally there has been a reliance on nutrition education to promote healthier diets,” the study’s lead researcher Dr. Cliona Ni Mhurchu of the University of Auckland in New Zealand, told Reuters Health by email. “These results highlight the importance of adding regulatory interventions to the mix rather than relying too heavily on personal responsibility.”
As rates of obesity continue to rise in much of the developed world, so does the urgency to improve people’s food choices. Ni Mhurchu and her team conducted a six-month trial across eight New Zealand supermarkets to determine the effects of two strategies: price discounts and nutrition education.
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