Questionmark Foundation’s Superlist UK has started

Research into health and sustainability of supermarkets in UK

The research for Superlist UK, a pilot study on health and sustainability of supermarkets, has started. For Superlist UK, Dutch research foundation Questionmark will use the same scientific method as in the Netherlands. The specific research method for the UK has been written in collaboration with Questionmark’s UK based partners ShareAction and Eating Better, and in consultation with Public Health England.

Superlist is a research and campaign project that provides insight into what supermarkets are doing to help their customers choose healthy and sustainable food. Superlist also shows which supermarkets are leading the way and which are lagging behind, and what they can do to improve their position. Superlist started in 2019 in the Netherlands.

Superlist UK

Superlist UK is the first pilot outside of the Netherlands. For this pilot Questionmark will assess the four largest supermarket chains in the UK (in terms of market share): Tesco,  Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrissons. For “health” the research will measure the volume of High Fat Sugar Salt (HFSS) products in the promotions. For “sustainability” the survey will analyze the share of meat promotions and the availability of relevant information on the provenance of meat products.

The assessment will lead to a short report with the main findings. The report will be published in two parts, health and sustainability. Data on assortment and promotions will be collected during a 6-week period, starting on August 24. During this period, all webshops will be visited in four data collection cycles.

Measurable insights

The Superlists provide supermarkets, governments and consumers measurable insights into the extent to which supermarkets as an environment for daily food choices, stimulate a diet that is good for our health and the environment. In the Netherlands, the first Superlist Health was published in  October 2020. Superlist Green on supermarkets and sustainability was published in May 2021.

Charlotte Linnebank, director of Questionmark: “With their policies, assortment and promotions Supermarkets across Europe are perfectly positioned to support their customers in choosing healthy and sustainable food products. With their large purchase volumes, they also have a the power to accelerate healthy and sustainability in production chains. With Superlist UK we can now also help supermarkets outside the Netherlands to seize this opportunity."