Good Food Retail Mid Year Review

It has been six months since GOOD FOOD RETAIL officially launched nationwide, and the evidence is building well. Last week we invited our supporters for a mid-year update and were delighted to be joined by councils, public health leads, wholesalers and policy makers on the call. A real mix of perspectives and great insights.

Much thanks to Helen Highley from Bright Purpose, Mindy Mondair from Bestway Wholesale and Liza Ctori from London Borough of Hounslow for sharing their experiences and outcomes.

Full Slide Deck

Download the full slide deck from our session here:

GFR Combined Council Update 200526.pdf

Download PDF • 5.17MB

Of the 20 store evaluated by Bright Horizons:

Meeting Highlights:

• Independent evaluation by Bright Purpose confirms convenience stores participating in Good Food Retail sustain healthier sales long term. 13 of the 20 stores in the study are now prominently stocking healthier options.

• Bestway Wholesale continues to move towards business as usual. They saw a 40% uplift in trade week sales since implementing Good Food Retail, with regular review and expansion of healthier options.

• Hounslow Council reported 27% improved availability of healthier products, increased customer engagement, and positive feedback from both retailers and residents.

• Proven enablers include; de-risking initial stock changes, ongoing advice for retailers, understanding customer demand, and enabling price matched/competitive pricing.

• Affordability remains a challenge for both retailers and customers, but healthier options are still being maintained.

• Convenience stores are recognised as important community hubs and should be integrated into broader food strategies. The network is looking to expand support for healthier cultural food options.

• Supporting other public health priorities: Poor oral health and hygiene poverty  is another area where the network can help and offering access to affordable dental and period products is already being piloted in parts of the network.

• Rice Marketing have now launched Good Food Takeaway, a new initiative supporting takeaway businesses to introduce healthier options. Developed in direct response to council demand, with a focus on low-risk, profitable changes, supporting the existing Healthy Catering Commitment programme in London. 

There is more to come

In summary it is clear that convenience stores and takeaways are where local people access their food on a daily basis. The more we can align councils, wholesalers, retailers, and community groups to provide healthier options around that, the better the outcomes.

It is fair to say there is a lot more to come and we look forward to providing an update at our Annual Summit on 1st October.

Link to Good Food Retail rollout in Hounslow