Experts are recommending restrictions on supermarket special offers after a new study reveals that they fuel obesity and unhealthy food choices.
While supermarket deals may be easier on the wallet, researchers say that they're detrimental to the health.
Packing On The Pounds With Supermarket Deals
A report published by Cancer Research UK reveals that people whose shopping baskets are loaded with food and drinks on special promotions are more than 50 percent more likely to be obese.
Researchers observed more than 16,000 British households, finding that shoppers with 40 percent to 80 percent of their purchases on special offers and sale items have a greater chance of putting on weight.
Notably, the bargain hunters were also found to pick up unhealthier choices, buying 30 percent less fruit and almost 25 percent less vegetables. The shoppers who picked up the most special offers purchased 25 percent more food and drink items that are high in sugar, salt, or fat.
In Great Britain, three out of 10 food and drink products bought are on promotion. Nearly half of all the chocolate, chips, popcorn, and savory snacks bought were on a special promotion.
Obesity Linked To Cancer, Health Issues
Professor Linda Bauld, Cancer Research UK's prevention expert, explains that special promotions provide shoppers with a lot of tempting food and drink choices that are ultimately bad for the health.
"With young children frequently being the ones who suffer from the effects of these purchases, introducing restrictions is important for their future health," Bauld continues.
Cancer Research UK's director of cancer prevention Alison Cox agrees, saying the government is going in the right direction by proposing a ban on junk food by 9 p.m.
"Now we want to see restrictions on price promotions for unhealthy food and drink items, as well as those strategically-placed at checkouts," she says.
Obesity is a growing problem, especially since it is linked to a lot of health issues, including cancer. Forty percent of all cancers diagnosed in the United States in 2014 are associated with overweight obesity, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In the United States, 18.5 percent of children and adolescents aged 2 to 19 years old are affected with obesity. Obesity also affects 39.8 percent of adults in the country in 2015 to 2016.
