KEY POINTS:
Some of the most popular products sold in New Zealand supermarkets are the least healthy, an Auckland University study has revealed.
Researchers found full-fat milk, white bread, full-sugar soft drinks, butter and sweet biscuits proved the most popular choices within their food groups.
Soft drinks featured six times in the top 30 products, and two sizes of cola drinks were among the top 10.
Data on the top-selling 3000 food and non-alcoholic products bought by 882 customers who shopped regularly at a Wellington supermarket were gathered over a one year period where 73 per cent of the customers were female with a mean age of 38.
The paper was published in the international journal Public Health Nutrition.
Reducing diet-related disease is a priority worldwide, says the paper, while improving nutrition is an objective of New Zealand's national nutrition strategy.
Supermarket sales did not, however, necessarily reflect total household diet with New Zealanders spending a quarter of their food budget on restaurant and cafe meals and takeaway foods.
- NZPA
