Presenting Author: Pasquale Rummo, MPH, PhD, New York University School of Medicine

ABSTRACT

Background: Previous work from the NYC Community Health Survey suggests that self-reported consumption of sugary drinks decreased in New York City (NYC) in the past decade, possibly due to targeted policy efforts. However, no previous research has used objective sales data to quantify changes in soda purchases over time.

Objectives: To examine the change in average sales of soda sold per week in NYC food stores between 2006 and 2015.

Methods: We used store-level Nielsen Retail Scanner data from chain food stores in NYC to calculate the average total volume of regular and low-calorie soda sold per week in 2006 and 2015; and tested the statistical significance of change using a Welch T-test with a two-tailed p-value <0.05. We also examined differences by store type (supermarkets, drug stores, mass merchandisers, and convenience stores).

Results: The mean (SD) total volume of regular soda sold in NYC food stores decreased by 23.8% (p<0.001), from 932 (4794) ounces/week in 2006 (n=708 stores) to 710 (3224) ounces/week in 2015 (n=752 stores). We observed a similar decrease in the total volume of low-calorie soda (p<0.001), with average sales of 950 (3,123) and 571 (1,467) ounces/week in 2006 and 2015, respectively. We did not observe meaningful differences across food store types.

Implications: The observed decline in soda sales in NYC food stores suggests that local efforts may have been successful in improving population-level dietary behaviors. Next steps include examining trends with additional years; exploring trends in other beverages (e.g., water, coffee/tea); and calculating national trends.

Authors: Pasquale Rummo, MPH, PhD; Brian Elbel, PhD, MPH; and Nam Pho, MS.