Poster Presentation Australian and New Zealand Obesity Society Annual Scientific Conference 2024

Temporal changes in quality of the food environment at a weekly market in Tasmania (#254)

Helen M Parker 1 2 , Murray Parker 3 , Sisi Jia 1 2
  1. Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  2. Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  3. Faculty of Science and Health, Charles Sturt University, Albury, NSW, Australia

Background:

The food environment plays an important role in the development and maintenance of obesity. The influence of market settings on overall dietary intake (quality and quantity) may be substantial where individuals regularly attend any given market. Salamanca Market (Hobart, Tasmania) is a popular weekly market attended regularly by locals. This study examined the changes in food/beverage stall offerings at Salamanca Market over a 13-year period from 2011 to 2024.

Methods:

Summer maps for Salamanca Market from 2011-12 to 2023-24 were obtained from the official website and analysed for stall categorisation. Current range of available products and categorisations were confirmed through in-person audit in January 2024. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise the findings.

Results:

Over the 13-year period, we found an increase in stalls offering primarily ‘discretionary’ foods/beverages, and a decrease in ‘core foods’ stalls. In 2011-12, Food/Beverages comprised 26.2% (n=78/298) of all stalls; by 2023-24 Food/Beverages had increased by 21% to 31.7% (n=89/281). Of all Food/Beverage stalls, Take Away Food stalls increased by 58% to 38% and Confectionary increased by 83% to 11% over the study period. Conversely, Fruit/Vegetables had decreased by 42% to 10% of Food/Beverage stalls. Similarly, other core foods decreased in availability: Dairy stalls decreased from 6% to 3%, Bread/Baked Goods from 5% to 0% of Food/Beverage stalls. Beverage stall composition reflected a substantial increase in alcohol availability at this weekly market: stalls that sold alcohol as their primary product increased from 13% to 64% of all Beverage stalls over the study period.

Conclusion:

Stall composition changes over 13 years at Salamanca market demonstrates a poorer food environment, with reduction in healthy offerings and increase in ‘discretionary’ foods/beverages. If consumer purchasing, and therefore intake, is reflective of any of these changes, diet quality afforded by Salamanca Market has declined significantly over the study period.