Serving Sizes and Energy Content of Grab-and-Go Sweetened Beverages in Australian Convenience Stores, Supermarkets, and Fast-Food Outlets

Abstract

There is a growing demand for convenience grab-and-go (GNG) food and beverages due to the modern, busy lifestyle. The types of food and beverages available in this sector are currently not well defined, although a large selection of discretionary foods is typically on display. The aims of this study were (1) to summarise the literature on consumers’ purchasing behaviours of sweetened beverages, in particular the effects of purchasing locations and settings, price, promotion, and serving sizes, followed by (2) a cross-sectional audit of available sweetened beverages (sugar-sweetened and intensely sweetened) in the GNG sector. Three common GNG settings (convenience stores, front of supermarket, and fast-food outlets) within metropolitan Sydney, Australia, were selected in three different socioeconomic localities. Data were collected by in-store visits (n = 18) and using brand websites between March and April 2022. A total of 1204 GNG sweetened beverages were included. Sugar-sweetened beverages comprised 67% of beverages, with the highest proportion in fast-food outlets (80%), followed by convenience stores (67%) and supermarkets (61%). The majority (63%) of sugar-sweetened beverages had an energy content higher than 600 kJ and a serving size over 375 mL. Fast-food outlets in particular had the smallest selection of sugar-sweetened beverages less than or equal to 250 mL (5.1%). No differences across socioeconomic localities in the proportion and serving sizes of available sugar-sweetened beverages were observed. These findings show that the majority of GNG sweetened beverages have large serving sizes and high energy content, and opportunities exist to improve this food environment. An increased selection of smaller serving sizes can nudge consumers towards more appropriate serving size selections.