Diet transition and supermarket shopping behaviour: is there a link?

Abstract

Supermarkets are leading the transformation of food markets in Asia, yet few studies have examined the impact of this so-called supermarket revolution on diet transition and the related nutritional and health implications. We use data from a sample of 1,180 urban households in Indonesia to explore the relation between the increased use of modern food-retail outlets and the emergence of unhealthy dietary patterns. The results of our ordinary least-squares and instrumental variables regressions suggest a negative and significant relation between the share of food expenditure at modern food retailers and the healthiness of consumer food purchases, even after we control for other characteristics that may influence foodconsumption decisions.