Three in five shoppers say they've succumbed to the temptation of buying junk food and sugary drinks when they are on sale at the supermarket, new research shows.
The finding will be music to the ears of food manufacturers paying hefty fees to spruik "half-price" deals in prime sections of Coles and Woolworths, but alarming for health campaigners fighting Australia's obesity epidemic.
While 65 per cent of Australians pre-plan their meals and more than half regularly compare products to figure out healthier options, 60 per cent said they were likely to buy junk food and sugary drinks when prices were slashed, according to the survey.
The LiveLighter's Shape of Australia survey, to mark World Obesity Day, found the most popular unhealthy items to buy on sale were lollies and chocolate, chips and savoury biscuits, and sugary drinks, in that order.
Salty, fatty and sugary products are more likely to be heavily discounted and placed at the highly visible end-of-aisle or checkout sections of the supermarket, triggering impulse purchases.
Regular consumption of high kilojoule food and drinks can lead to weight gain and a build-up of toxic fat around your organs, which increases the risk of heart disease, type two diabetes and some cancers," said Roni Beauchamp of Heart Foundation Victoria.
"Planning your meals, writing a shopping list and choosing the healthiest option by reading the labels are all great ways to ensure you buy what you need ... and avoid buying unhealthy products just because they're on sale."
Alison McAleese from LiveLighter Victoria, a public health education campaign, said: "steer clear of cheap promotions on junk food and drinks by sticking to the outer aisles of the supermarket where there is a plenty of fresh healthy food like fruit and vegetables."
Gary Mortimer, marketing expert at Queensland University of Technology, said brands would secure an end-of-aisle section by offering the supermarket a rebate, and fund the cost of the price markdown by paying a promotional incentive allowance.
He said brands, such as Cadbury and Lindt, were using Woolworths and Coles as a platform to drive volume.
"You can write a shopping list and try to resist, but it's hard because the brands are very good at creating that impulse purchase, with flashy packaging and $1, $2, and $3 price points," he said.
"You're at the checkout thinking, 'Well it's only $2', and you walk out with two chips and a chocolate bar."
The survey by LiveLighter, run by the Cancer Council Victoria and Heart Foundation and funded by the Victorian Government, also found that people who visited the supermarket every day or several times a week were significantly more likely to buy unhealthy items that were on sale than those who went once a week.
Ms McAleese called for supermarkets to play a bigger role in battling the obesity epidemic, with 63 per cent of Australian adults overweight or obese, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
"Some supermarkets have introduced great healthy initiatives, like confectionery free check-outs and offering free fresh fruit to children in store, and we'd like to see more of this," she said.
"We'd also like to see healthy food and drinks feature more heavily in their end-of-aisle promotions, catalogues and advertising."
A Coles spokesman said growing fresh food sales was a key priority and it promoted fresh produce in-store and in catalogues each week.
"In a step towards a healthier Australia, flybuys is also partnering with activity trackers such as Fitbit to reward customers for being active with a 10 per cent discount on all of Coles' fresh fruit and vegetables," he said.
A Woolworths spokesman said its stores had prominent fresh produce sections and its renewed stores made it easier for customers to pick up fruit and vegetables.
"Our nationwide Free Fruit for Kids initiative has proved extremely successful since its launch last year," he said.
"During this time Woolworths has provided children with more than 4.6 million pieces of fruit - that's around 21,000 free pieces of fruit per day."
Tips to resists those cheap chips and lollies
- Save money by making healthy snacks at home
- Compare the true cost of food and drinks using the unit price on the shelf label (eg $ per kilogram or 100g)
- Write a meal plan and a shopping list before going to the supermarket and make an effort to stick to it
- Spend more of your food budget on healthy foods to save money at the checkout
- Limit your visits to the supermarket each week
- Avoid going to the supermarket on an empty stomach
