The European Journal of Public Health Advance Access published online on June 16, 2007
The European Journal of Public Health, doi:10.1093/eurpub/ckm037
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‘All under one roof?’ differences in food availability and shopping patterns in Southern France and Central England
Clare Pettinger1, Michelle Holdsworth2 and Mariette Gerber3
1 Faculty of Health and Social Work, University of Plymouth, PL4 8AA, UK
2 Division of Nutritional Sciences, University of Nottingham, UK
3 Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie, Montpellier, France
Correspondence: Dr C. Pettinger, SF15, Peninsula Allied Health Centre, Faculty of Health and Social Work, University of Plymouth, PL6 9BH, United Kingdom, tel: +44 1752 238822, fax: +44 1752 238874, e-mail: clare.pettinger{at}plymouth.ac.uk
Received October 24, 2006 , accepted March 26, 2007
Background: This study investigates patterns of food shopping and availability of fruit and vegetables and snack foods in a northern European (Central England) and southern European region (Southern France). Methods: Two studies were conducted in England (Nottingham) and France (Montpellier): (i) Cross-sectional population surveys using self-administered postal questionnaires to assess type of outlets used for food shopping in random population samples (England: n = 826; Montpellier: n = 766). (ii) Food availability studies to determine: the number of food outlets in defined comparable geographical areas; the number stocking fruit and vegetables, their quality and energy dense snacks. Results: The English respondents used supermarkets most regularly (P < 0.001), whereas the French preferred to use smaller local shops, such as bakers (P < 0.001), butchers (P < 0.001) and markets (P < 0.001). Overall a larger proportion of outlets in Montpellier than Nottingham sold fresh fruit and vegetables and a wider variety of fresh fruit. However, a range of vegetables and all other types of fruit were as widely available in English shops. Although the quality of fresh fruit and vegetables tended to be better in Montpellier, the difference was not significant. Crisps (P < 0.05) and confectionary items (P < 0.05) were more widely available in England. Conclusions: Food shopping was done ‘under one roof’ more often in England, whereas in France, shopping was done in smaller specialist shops, which was reflected in their presence within the locality. Even though availability of fruit and vegetables was good in both countries, snack foods were more abundant in England. This clearly impacts on the food environment and could explain the higher prevalence of obesity in England, factors which are also influenced by culture, habits and convenience.
Keywords: England, food availability, food culture, France, shopping practices