Abstract for: The Dynamics of Unhealthy Food Availability in Dutch Supermarkets

The product offer in supermarkets is dominated by unhealthy products. Unfortunately, the dynamics that cause this dominance are poorly understood. This study aims to develop system dynamics map of the main factors and dynamics responsible for this problem. Semi-structured interviews will be held with people representing the primary stakeholders: food retail, the food industry, agricultural sector, and consumer organisations. In these interviews, the participants will reflect on the factors and dynamics which drive the dominance of unhealthy products, and iteratively add these on a system dynamics map. The completed map will be presented to academic experts and discussed in-depth, to validate and deepen the findings. Currently, twelve interviews have been conducted with the stakeholder representatives. We will be presenting the preliminary results of these interviews. Our aim is to gather feedback on which findings seem most important, and how to best represent these findings in a structured and readable manner. Funded by the Dutch heart Foundation (01-001-2021-B017).