Sinead Furey | University of Ulster (original) (raw)

Papers by Sinead Furey

Research paper thumbnail of Product reformulation in the food and beverage manufacturing and retail industries - the evidence from promotional food and drinks items

Food and drink innovation through food manufacturers’ product reformulation strategies has receiv... more Food and drink innovation through food manufacturers’ product reformulation strategies has received significant attention in recent years. An obesity epidemic and rising food prices have implications for health since dietary quality and dietary costs are positively related and more price-sensitive consumers appear less concerned about the health aspects of food. This research aims to determine if product reformulation can support current strategies that align price-based promotions with prominent placement strategies to increase the availability, accessibility and affordability of food and drink choices to consumers. Given the considerable effort to reformulate the food and beverage retail product offering, it will be important that retailers utilise price-based promotions and prominent placement tactics to make these below the line food and drink innovations available to the broadest number of consumers as possible. To do so will help to realise the population benefits that are possible, with the potential to influence supply and demand and serve as a further catalyst for product reformulation. The findings from this qualitative research have applicability to the food and drink service industries, and hospitality sector generally, in maximising the reach of promotional tactics that have been proven to work, coupled with continuing innovation for further population health benefits in this market.

Research paper thumbnail of Stakeholder-informed considerations for a food poverty definition

British Food Journal, Sep 10, 2020

Purpose: A number of food poverty definitions have been identified by academics and various gover... more Purpose: A number of food poverty definitions have been identified by academics and various government organisations globally, however there exists no government-endorsed definition of food poverty in the United Kingdom (UK), and there remains a gap regarding how relevant current food poverty definitions are in the Northern Ireland (NI)/UK contexts. Methodology: Interviews (n=19) with a range of stakeholders (e.g. policy makers, politicians, community advice centre workers, consumer subgroup representatives, food bank and food redistribution organisation representatives) were conducted to examine (i) the usefulness of a food poverty definition, (ii) what a food poverty definition should include, and (iii) the applicability of an existing definition (Radimer et al., 1992) in the NI/UK context. Data was thematically analysed using QSR NVivo (v.12). Findings: Definition was considered important to increase awareness and understanding. Any consideration of revising the Radimer et al (1992) definition, or of establishing a new standardised definition, should seek to reduce/remove ambiguity and subjectivity of terminology used (i.e. more clearly defining what the terms 'adequate', 'sufficient', 'quality', and 'socially acceptable ways' mean in this context). Practical Implications: This research emphasises the importance of appropriately conceptually defining social phenomena such as food poverty, as a first step to constructing and reviewing measurement approaches, and ultimately assessing predictors and recommending solutions. Originality/value: This research addresses the gap relating to stakeholders opinion on food poverty definition, and contributes recommendations for modifying the Radimer et al (1992) definition in the NI/UK, and present day, contexts.

Research paper thumbnail of What foods are Northern Ireland supermarkets promoting? A content analysis of supermarket online

Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 2017

Price promotions are widely used by supermarkets to encourage purchase of targeted products more ... more Price promotions are widely used by supermarkets to encourage purchase of targeted products more quickly, more frequently, and/or in greater quantities. These promotions have been shown to be effective in altering consumer behaviour, albeit in the short-term (1,2). US research has shown that price promotions favour processed, energy dense foods (3). On the other hand, price promotions have been successful in increasing the sales of healthier food (4-6) suggesting that appropriately targeted pricing strategies could be used effectively to improve diet patterns. The aim of this study was to conduct a content analysis of online 'Top Offers' promoted by supermarkets across Northern Ireland (NI). Food promotions (n = 1885; food (n = 1613, 86 %), beverages (n = 272, 14 %); Branded (n = 1407, 75 %), Own-brand products (n = 478, 25 %)) from the 'Top Offer' section of leading NI supermarkets (Tesco, ASDA, and Sainsbury's) and a convenience store (SPAR) were collected online every 3 weeks between April 2014 and April 2015 (12 months; 18 data collections). For each food product promoted the energy and nutrient information was obtained (per 100 g / 100 ml) and the healthiness assessed using 1.) Nutrient Quality (NQ) scoring method based on the Food Standard Agency's Front-of-Pack labelling system (focusing on the risk nutrients sugar, salt, fat, saturated fat) and energy cutoffs defined by Bell et al. (7) , and 2.) Food Type score, as defined by the sections of Public Health England (PHE)'s Eatwell Plate. Overall NQ scores for the food items collected was high (mean 10•7 / 15 ± SD 2•9) and the median score was in the high NQ band (⩾12 NQ score; 34 %), followed by the medium NQ (8-12 NQ score; 37 %) and lastly the low NQ band (<8 NQ score; 29 %). There was no significant difference between the NQ score obtained by supermarkets and the convenience store (P = 0•405), or between branded and own-branded products (p = 0•107). Food types promoted differed significantly to the PHE Eatwell recommendations (P < 0•001; Pearson Chi-squared value = 744•2) and were as follows (current study vs Eatwell recommendations) 'High Fat High Sugar Foods' (33 % vs 7 %), 'Bread, Rice, Potatoes & Pasta' (21 % vs 33 %), 'Meat, Fish Eggs and Beans' (20 % vs 12 %), 'Fruit and Vegetables' (14 % vs 33 %), 'Milk and Dairy Products' (12 % vs 15 %). In contrast to the popular perception that food promotions favour less healthy foods, findings in the current study showed that NI supermarkets are promoting a wide range of both healthy (high NQ) and less healthy (low NQ) foods, with the majority of foods falling into the high NQ band. However there was some over-representation of 'High fat High sugar foods' and under-representation of 'Fruit and Vegetables' compared with the PHE Eatwell plate recommendations. More research is needed to investigate how findings within the present study impact on consumer behaviour and food intake.

Research paper thumbnail of Let’s talk promotional offers: shoppers discourse on the influence of offers available in grocery stores

Research paper thumbnail of Call for written submissions – Interlinkages between poverty and the realization of human rights in the United Kingdom – Visit by the United Nations’ Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from 5 to 16 November 2018

Research paper thumbnail of The impact of rurality on consumers' access to food services, using a food poverty risk index

Research paper thumbnail of Eating or Heating? An Investigation of Food Poverty in Northern Ireland

Research paper thumbnail of Investigation into the balance of healthy versus less healthy food promotions among Republic of Ireland food retailers

Purpose: With two in three Irish adults overweight or obese, one in six living in poverty, and th... more Purpose: With two in three Irish adults overweight or obese, one in six living in poverty, and the majority spending their money more carefully now than in the past, there is an urgent need to understand the availability of healthy food promotions to help householders manage food budgets. This research aims to determine if a balance between ‘healthy’ and ‘less healthy’ food promotions exists in order to inform the development of strategies to increase consumer accessibility to healthier food products sold on promotional offer. For the first time in Irish context, a research study employs primary research rather than secondary analysis of historical sales data to examine the healthfulness, or otherwise, of promotional evidence. Methods: A quantitative approach utilised eighty (N=80) in-store audits of retail food promotions. Each promotional product was assigned a Food Pyramid category and analysed using SPSS.Results/findings: Analysis indicated 47,100 promotional items from supermar...

Research paper thumbnail of Children’s Future Food Inquiry – Evidence Submission

Research paper thumbnail of Healthy Food Environments: Assessing the Healthiness of Food Retail Promotional Offers

Research paper thumbnail of Children’s Future Food Inquiry: Ni Evidence Session

Research paper thumbnail of What’s on offer?: The types of food and drink on price promotion in retail outlets in the Republic of Ireland

Research paper thumbnail of A three stage investigation into the balance of healthy versus less healthy food promotions among Northern Ireland Food Retailers: Summary Report

Research paper thumbnail of Rapid Evidence Assessment - A three-stage investigation into the balance of healthy versus less healthy food promotions among Northern Ireland food retailers

Research paper thumbnail of Food poverty in Northern Ireland: Presentation to the Consumer Council's Fourth Consumer Parliament

Research paper thumbnail of Innovative Food Business Models for Sustainable and Resilient Economies

Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Accellerating Business Collaboration (ABC) 2020, Apr 20, 2021

Research paper thumbnail of What is food insecurity or food poverty

UUBS research with people at risk of fuel poverty (2015) found: 41% unable to comfortably feed th... more UUBS research with people at risk of fuel poverty (2015) found: 41% unable to comfortably feed themselves and their families three meals per day all of the time.

Research paper thumbnail of Examples of success in UK food policy

Routledge eBooks, May 23, 2023

Research paper thumbnail of Food scares, food safety and food fraud from chalk in flour to “horsegate”

Routledge eBooks, May 23, 2023

Research paper thumbnail of Food policy in the UK

Routledge eBooks, May 23, 2023

Research paper thumbnail of Product reformulation in the food and beverage manufacturing and retail industries - the evidence from promotional food and drinks items

Food and drink innovation through food manufacturers’ product reformulation strategies has receiv... more Food and drink innovation through food manufacturers’ product reformulation strategies has received significant attention in recent years. An obesity epidemic and rising food prices have implications for health since dietary quality and dietary costs are positively related and more price-sensitive consumers appear less concerned about the health aspects of food. This research aims to determine if product reformulation can support current strategies that align price-based promotions with prominent placement strategies to increase the availability, accessibility and affordability of food and drink choices to consumers. Given the considerable effort to reformulate the food and beverage retail product offering, it will be important that retailers utilise price-based promotions and prominent placement tactics to make these below the line food and drink innovations available to the broadest number of consumers as possible. To do so will help to realise the population benefits that are possible, with the potential to influence supply and demand and serve as a further catalyst for product reformulation. The findings from this qualitative research have applicability to the food and drink service industries, and hospitality sector generally, in maximising the reach of promotional tactics that have been proven to work, coupled with continuing innovation for further population health benefits in this market.

Research paper thumbnail of Stakeholder-informed considerations for a food poverty definition

British Food Journal, Sep 10, 2020

Purpose: A number of food poverty definitions have been identified by academics and various gover... more Purpose: A number of food poverty definitions have been identified by academics and various government organisations globally, however there exists no government-endorsed definition of food poverty in the United Kingdom (UK), and there remains a gap regarding how relevant current food poverty definitions are in the Northern Ireland (NI)/UK contexts. Methodology: Interviews (n=19) with a range of stakeholders (e.g. policy makers, politicians, community advice centre workers, consumer subgroup representatives, food bank and food redistribution organisation representatives) were conducted to examine (i) the usefulness of a food poverty definition, (ii) what a food poverty definition should include, and (iii) the applicability of an existing definition (Radimer et al., 1992) in the NI/UK context. Data was thematically analysed using QSR NVivo (v.12). Findings: Definition was considered important to increase awareness and understanding. Any consideration of revising the Radimer et al (1992) definition, or of establishing a new standardised definition, should seek to reduce/remove ambiguity and subjectivity of terminology used (i.e. more clearly defining what the terms 'adequate', 'sufficient', 'quality', and 'socially acceptable ways' mean in this context). Practical Implications: This research emphasises the importance of appropriately conceptually defining social phenomena such as food poverty, as a first step to constructing and reviewing measurement approaches, and ultimately assessing predictors and recommending solutions. Originality/value: This research addresses the gap relating to stakeholders opinion on food poverty definition, and contributes recommendations for modifying the Radimer et al (1992) definition in the NI/UK, and present day, contexts.

Research paper thumbnail of What foods are Northern Ireland supermarkets promoting? A content analysis of supermarket online

Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 2017

Price promotions are widely used by supermarkets to encourage purchase of targeted products more ... more Price promotions are widely used by supermarkets to encourage purchase of targeted products more quickly, more frequently, and/or in greater quantities. These promotions have been shown to be effective in altering consumer behaviour, albeit in the short-term (1,2). US research has shown that price promotions favour processed, energy dense foods (3). On the other hand, price promotions have been successful in increasing the sales of healthier food (4-6) suggesting that appropriately targeted pricing strategies could be used effectively to improve diet patterns. The aim of this study was to conduct a content analysis of online 'Top Offers' promoted by supermarkets across Northern Ireland (NI). Food promotions (n = 1885; food (n = 1613, 86 %), beverages (n = 272, 14 %); Branded (n = 1407, 75 %), Own-brand products (n = 478, 25 %)) from the 'Top Offer' section of leading NI supermarkets (Tesco, ASDA, and Sainsbury's) and a convenience store (SPAR) were collected online every 3 weeks between April 2014 and April 2015 (12 months; 18 data collections). For each food product promoted the energy and nutrient information was obtained (per 100 g / 100 ml) and the healthiness assessed using 1.) Nutrient Quality (NQ) scoring method based on the Food Standard Agency's Front-of-Pack labelling system (focusing on the risk nutrients sugar, salt, fat, saturated fat) and energy cutoffs defined by Bell et al. (7) , and 2.) Food Type score, as defined by the sections of Public Health England (PHE)'s Eatwell Plate. Overall NQ scores for the food items collected was high (mean 10•7 / 15 ± SD 2•9) and the median score was in the high NQ band (⩾12 NQ score; 34 %), followed by the medium NQ (8-12 NQ score; 37 %) and lastly the low NQ band (<8 NQ score; 29 %). There was no significant difference between the NQ score obtained by supermarkets and the convenience store (P = 0•405), or between branded and own-branded products (p = 0•107). Food types promoted differed significantly to the PHE Eatwell recommendations (P < 0•001; Pearson Chi-squared value = 744•2) and were as follows (current study vs Eatwell recommendations) 'High Fat High Sugar Foods' (33 % vs 7 %), 'Bread, Rice, Potatoes & Pasta' (21 % vs 33 %), 'Meat, Fish Eggs and Beans' (20 % vs 12 %), 'Fruit and Vegetables' (14 % vs 33 %), 'Milk and Dairy Products' (12 % vs 15 %). In contrast to the popular perception that food promotions favour less healthy foods, findings in the current study showed that NI supermarkets are promoting a wide range of both healthy (high NQ) and less healthy (low NQ) foods, with the majority of foods falling into the high NQ band. However there was some over-representation of 'High fat High sugar foods' and under-representation of 'Fruit and Vegetables' compared with the PHE Eatwell plate recommendations. More research is needed to investigate how findings within the present study impact on consumer behaviour and food intake.

Research paper thumbnail of Let’s talk promotional offers: shoppers discourse on the influence of offers available in grocery stores

Research paper thumbnail of Call for written submissions – Interlinkages between poverty and the realization of human rights in the United Kingdom – Visit by the United Nations’ Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from 5 to 16 November 2018

Research paper thumbnail of The impact of rurality on consumers' access to food services, using a food poverty risk index

Research paper thumbnail of Eating or Heating? An Investigation of Food Poverty in Northern Ireland

Research paper thumbnail of Investigation into the balance of healthy versus less healthy food promotions among Republic of Ireland food retailers

Purpose: With two in three Irish adults overweight or obese, one in six living in poverty, and th... more Purpose: With two in three Irish adults overweight or obese, one in six living in poverty, and the majority spending their money more carefully now than in the past, there is an urgent need to understand the availability of healthy food promotions to help householders manage food budgets. This research aims to determine if a balance between ‘healthy’ and ‘less healthy’ food promotions exists in order to inform the development of strategies to increase consumer accessibility to healthier food products sold on promotional offer. For the first time in Irish context, a research study employs primary research rather than secondary analysis of historical sales data to examine the healthfulness, or otherwise, of promotional evidence. Methods: A quantitative approach utilised eighty (N=80) in-store audits of retail food promotions. Each promotional product was assigned a Food Pyramid category and analysed using SPSS.Results/findings: Analysis indicated 47,100 promotional items from supermar...

Research paper thumbnail of Children’s Future Food Inquiry – Evidence Submission

Research paper thumbnail of Healthy Food Environments: Assessing the Healthiness of Food Retail Promotional Offers

Research paper thumbnail of Children’s Future Food Inquiry: Ni Evidence Session

Research paper thumbnail of What’s on offer?: The types of food and drink on price promotion in retail outlets in the Republic of Ireland

Research paper thumbnail of A three stage investigation into the balance of healthy versus less healthy food promotions among Northern Ireland Food Retailers: Summary Report

Research paper thumbnail of Rapid Evidence Assessment - A three-stage investigation into the balance of healthy versus less healthy food promotions among Northern Ireland food retailers

Research paper thumbnail of Food poverty in Northern Ireland: Presentation to the Consumer Council's Fourth Consumer Parliament

Research paper thumbnail of Innovative Food Business Models for Sustainable and Resilient Economies

Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Accellerating Business Collaboration (ABC) 2020, Apr 20, 2021

Research paper thumbnail of What is food insecurity or food poverty

UUBS research with people at risk of fuel poverty (2015) found: 41% unable to comfortably feed th... more UUBS research with people at risk of fuel poverty (2015) found: 41% unable to comfortably feed themselves and their families three meals per day all of the time.

Research paper thumbnail of Examples of success in UK food policy

Routledge eBooks, May 23, 2023

Research paper thumbnail of Food scares, food safety and food fraud from chalk in flour to “horsegate”

Routledge eBooks, May 23, 2023

Research paper thumbnail of Food policy in the UK

Routledge eBooks, May 23, 2023