Ultra Processed Food - Towards Healthier Supermarkets : Assessing Consumer Value and the Need for Socially Sustainable Value Propositions in Swedish Supermarkets
Year: 2025
Type: dissertation
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Ultra processed foods (UPFs) are defined as industrially manufactured products high inadditives and low in nutrition. These are increasingly consumed and linked to several negative health effects. Simultaneously, supermarkets are the largest retailers of UPFs, andhave great power in influencing consumer diets and public health. However, supermarkets tend to prioritise environmental over social sustainability and public health in particular. As a result, the purpose of this study is to understand the current value propositions of Swedish supermarkets, the value customers seek, and the potential need for value propositions with a stronger emphasis on health. Adopting a deductive method and a quantitative data collection, an online survey was used to collect the answers from 180 respondents. This was later analyzed through descriptive statistics and through tests for independence. The key findings of the study reveal that consumers in Sweden continue to prioritize traditional values such as price, accessibility and convenience. However, health is of large importance and there is a clear need for healthy food choices. Despite data suggesting high consumption of UPFs in Sweden, the survey answers indicated relatively low levels, and 78% of respondents were highly aware of the risks following UPF-consumption. In conclusion, there is tension between supermarket strategies often favoring ultra processed foods and an increasingly health conscious consumer base. Supermarkets are thereby urged to align their value propositions to better fit the health and sustainability needs of their consumers, to become key enablers of healthier lifestyles.
Authors: Blomdahl, Rasmus, Ana, Bogovac
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W6997013503