Published on in Vol 7, No 1 (2015):

Digital Sources of Food Purchasing Data for the Surveillance of Dietary Patterns

Digital Sources of Food Purchasing Data for the Surveillance of Dietary Patterns

Digital Sources of Food Purchasing Data for the Surveillance of Dietary Patterns

Authors of this article:

Katia Charland ;   Hiroshi Mamiya ;   David Buckeridge
The full text of this article is available as a PDF download by clicking here.

Food consumption data gathered at a fine enough spatial and temporal resolution is essential for the effective delivery and evaluation of diet-related public health interventions. Currently, the standard for food consumption data is food surveys. However, they are a burden on the respondant, are prone to bias and are often published after a long delay. In our study, we illustrate the utility of digital food purchasing data in public health practice by demonstrating a drop in soda sales following two public health interventions implemented in late 2011 in Montreal, Canada, to decrease the consumption of soda in school-aged children.