Almost every store has a snack on display; Chips, candy, and soda line the aisles of checkout lines in the most popular stores such as Target, Walmart, and even Bed Bath and Beyond. One of the leading causes for the obesity epidemic in America is caused by the excessive exposure and promotion of junk foods and fast foods. Naturally, people are used to getting what they want. When they crave fast foods or candy, they are going to go get it. Snack and fast food industries help by making their products easily accessible to the public. Fast food is a cheap and quick meal with the use of drive thrus. The snack display that faces shoppers at the end of their trip makes it quick and easy for them to make a last minute purchase. This easy access to junk food is the leading cause to America’s health problems in obesity. Because of this, sugary snacks displayed at the checkout need to be replaced with healthier alternatives to show consumers that healthy food has the same quick and easy access like junk foods.

Every sugary item is placed strategically on the shelves in stores. The report Temptation at Checkout, written by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, discusses how grocery stores strategically place certain products to influence a shopper’s purchase. In the cereal aisles at grocery stores, the sugary cereals such as Lucky Charms and Froot Loops are placed on the lower shelves which are at the perfect height for children to see. ¨Placement at children’s eye level can prompt children’s requests for particular (and usually unhealthy) foods” (Almy i). Children are most likely going to reach for those sugary cereals they can see versus the ones on the top shelf, such as Special K or Kashi cereal. At the checkout, the candy display is placed in the line where shoppers are waiting to checkout. ¨Putting products at checkout...makes them highly visible and convenient,” leading to impulse purchases (Almy 9). Candy and sugary snacks may not be on the shopping list, but waiting in line and looking at the candy creates a craving and temptation. My proposal is to replace these sugary snacks with healthier alternatives such as natural fruit snacks or granola bars instead of fruit candies and chocolate bars. Replacing these snacks will not get rid of impulse purchases, but it will slowly get rid of the craving for sugary snacks.

Eliminating junk food from checkout aisles will encourage healthier eating among the shoppers. When they are introduced to junk foods, shoppers become encouraged to eat unhealthy snacks and foods (Radcliffe par. 5). If a display of junk food encourages shoppers to purchase and eat a certain way, then a display of healthier alternatives should have the same effect as well. Displays at stores create a default effect on shoppers. When you are hungry at the checkout line, it is more convenient to grab a candy bar than to leave the line and grab a banana in the produce section, so the candy bar becomes the default option (Almy 32). These defaults can create habits that lead to unhealthy diets. Replacing the unhealthy defaults with healthier alternatives will change the outcome of the default to a healthier diet.

The reason why store checkout aisles are lined with unhealthy snacks is because the “food industry appears incapable of marketing healthier foods…[and] their mission is not public health but profit” (Bittman par. 4). Switching out the unhealthy snacks for healthy snacks will not be a pleasing proposal for the retail stores because it will mean their most popular products will be taken off the shelves. The snack industries will definitely disagree with my proposal because they will be losing their profit to the healthier snack industries. However, because health improvement is one of the top goals in the nation, retail markets will begin to chase the money that the healthy foods market is advertising (“Target” par. 4). Top food industries and certain stores will not be in favor of my proposal because with their products being taken off of the shelves, they will lose consumer profit; however, I believe with enough support, healthy foods will soon be the new products to line the checkout aisle.

In order to help improve the nutrition in America, I propose to start with the checkout aisles. Replacing the unhealthy snacks on display such as chips, candy, and soda, with healthier options, granola bars, energy bars, or fruit strips, will help people transition into healthier eating. In a survey administered to 109 students at Natomas Charter School, the amount of people who occasionally or never purchase the snacks in the checkout aisle are split 50/50 (Students, question 8). This shows that we are beginning to move away from unhealthy snacks because of the decrease in impulse purchases. My proposal to switch out the unhealthy snacks for healthier alternatives will be a step towards a healthier lifestyle in the community. People will begin to incorporate healthier ingredients and products into their meals because these healthier alternatives will be exposed to them more at retail stores. Stores will also be able to continue to make profit because by selling healthy foods, they are promoting the new trend of healthy diets that will slowly, but surely, move people away from the obesity epidemic in America. It is a “win-win” situation for both communities.


Works Cited
Almy, Jessica, and Margo G. Wootan. Temptation at Checkout. Washington DC: Center for Science in the Public Interest, Aug. 2015. PDF.
Bittman, Mark. "Bad Food? Tax It, and Subsidize Vegetables." The New York Times. The New York Times, 23 July 2011. Web. 11 Dec. 2015.
Radcliffe, Shawn. "The Battle at the Cash Register: Getting Rid of Junk Food at the Checkout Aisle." Healthlines RSS News. Healthline Networks Inc, 14 Aug. 2015. Web. 10 Dec. 2015.
Students, Natomas Charter. "Health, Habits, and Nutrition Survey (Student Edition)." Interview by Tyra Calero. Google Forms. Tyra Calero, 10 Dec. 2015. Web. 14 Dec. 2015.
"Target Tries Removing Junk Food at Checkout Counter." Fox News. FOX News Network, 17 Sept. 2015. Web. 10 Dec. 2015.