In many countries, people buy food in supermarkets, convenience stores, and online. But how is this convenience affecting our health?
Our study, done with UNICEF, looked at how people in 97 countries shopped for groceries over 15 years.
We found that the number of supermarkets and convenience stores is growing. People are also spending more money in these stores and online.
However, this has negative effects on our health. In countries with more chain grocery stores, people buy more unhealthy food and become more obese.
We studied food shops around the world. We found that chain grocery stores increased by 23.6% from 2009 to 2023. Many more of these stores opened in low- and middle-income countries.
Our study showed that unhealthy processed food sales grew by 10.9% in 15 years. Because of this, obesity rates are also rising.
Some countries are starting to change. For example, the UK is working to limit where unhealthy foods are placed in stores. It is important to create healthier food choices for everyone.
Vocabulary List:
- Convenience /kənˈviː.njəns/ (noun): The state of being able to proceed with something with little effort or difficulty.
- Obese /əʊˈbiːs/ (adjective): Having an excessive amount of body fat.
- Processed /ˈprəʊ.sesd/ (adjective): Subjected to a series of mechanical or chemical operations to change or preserve it.
- Sales /seɪlz/ (noun): The exchange of a commodity for money; the action of selling something.
- Increasing /ɪnˈkriː.sɪŋ/ (verb): Becoming larger or greater in size amount or degree.
- Limit /ˈlɪm.ɪt/ (verb): To restrict or control something within certain boundaries.
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