HFAB - Healthy Food Access Tasmania

2014

Tasmanian Healthy Food Access Basket (HFAB) Survey

Final Report Availability, Cost and Affordability of a Basket of Healthy Food in Tasmania September 2014

University of Tasmania

Funded by the Australian Government through Tasmania Medicare Local

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2014 HFAB Final Report


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2014

Tasmanian Healthy Food Access Basket (HFAB) Survey

Final Report Availability, Cost and Affordability of a Basket of Healthy Food in Tasmania September 2014

University of Tasmania Research Group Ms Sandra Murray Dr Kiran Ahuja Mr Stuart Auckland Professor Madeleine Ball


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University of Tasmania Research Group Ms Sandra Murray Dr Kiran Ahuja Mr Stuart Auckland Professor Madeleine Ball Copyright: ©This work is copyright. Apart from any use permitted under the Copyright Act 1968 no part may be reproduced without the permission of the authors. Suggested Citation: Murray S., Ahuja KDK., Auckland S., Ball MJ. 2014. The 2014 Tasmanian Healthy Food Access Basket (HFAB) Survey. School of Health Sciences. University of Tasmania.

Cover: Photograph by Darren Grattidge, University of Tasmania, and entitled ‘Healthy Food Access Basket for a 2 adult and 2 child family’.

For further information please contact Ms Sandra Murray School of Health Sciences University of Tasmania Locked Bag 1322, Launceston TASMANIA 7250 T +61 3 6324 5493 [email protected] Mr Stuart Auckland School of Health Sciences University of Tasmania Locked Bag 1322, Launceston TASMANIA 7250 T +61 3 6324 4035 [email protected]


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Contents Contents .................................................................................................................................................. i List of Tables ........................................................................................................................................ iii List of Figures ...................................................................................................................................... vi List of abbreviations and Acronyms ................................................................................................. vii Glossary .............................................................................................................................................. viii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................ xii Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................... xiii 1.0 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 2.0 Methodology .................................................................................................................................... 2 2.1

HFAB survey tool ....................................................................................................................... 2

2.2

Brands, specials and discounting .............................................................................................. 3

2.3

Shop Categories ........................................................................................................................ 4

2.4

Number and category of food shops selected for data collection .............................................. 5

2.5

Number of actual food shops where data was collected ........................................................... 6

2.6

Family types ............................................................................................................................... 7

2.7

Data collection ............................................................................................................................ 8

3.0 Analysis and Findings .................................................................................................................... 9 3.1

Tasmanian Food Shops ........................................................................................................... 10

3.2

State-wide And SEIFA Analyses .............................................................................................. 11

3.2.1

Availability of HFAB, fruit and vegetables (FV) and fresh fruit & vegetables (FFV) within Tasmania ......................................................................................................................... 11

3.2.1.1 Availability of HFAB..................................................................................................... 11 3.2.1.2 Availability of FV and FFV ........................................................................................... 13 3.2.2

Cost of HFAB, FV and FFV within Tasmania .................................................................. 14

3.2.2.1 Two adults and two children ....................................................................................... 15 3.2.2.2 One adult and two children ......................................................................................... 21 3.2.2.3 Single adult male......................................................................................................... 25 3.2.2.4 Single older female ..................................................................................................... 29 3.2.3

Affordability of HFAB, FV and FFV within Tasmania ...................................................... 33

3.2.3.1 Two adults and two children ....................................................................................... 34 3.2.3.2 One adult and two children ......................................................................................... 37 3.2.3.3 Single adult male......................................................................................................... 38 3.2.3.4 Single older female ..................................................................................................... 39 3.3

Local Government Area Analyses ........................................................................................... 40

3.3.1

Number of food shops in each LGA by SEIFA ................................................................ 41

3.3.2

Number of food shops where data was collected in each LGA by SEIFA ...................... 42


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3.3.3

Number of food shops meeting 90%, 80% and 60% eligibility criteria for HFAB by LGA ... ......................................................................................................................................... 43

3.3.4

Number of food shops with at least 90% of FV and FFV component of HFAB by LGA . 44

3.3.5

Cost of HFAB, FV, FFV by family type ............................................................................ 45

3.4

SA4 Analyses ........................................................................................................................... 48

3.4.1

Number of food shops in each SA4................................................................................. 48

3.4.2

Availability of HFAB, FV and FFV in each SA4 ............................................................... 49

3.4.2.1 Availability of HFAB items ........................................................................................... 49 3.4.2.2 Availability of FV and FFV items ................................................................................. 50 3.4.3

Cost of HFAB, FV and FFV ............................................................................................. 51

3.4.3.1 Two adults and two children ....................................................................................... 51 3.4.3.2 One adult and two children ......................................................................................... 54 3.4.3.3 Single adult male......................................................................................................... 57 3.4.3.4 Single older female ..................................................................................................... 60 3.5

ARIA Analyses ......................................................................................................................... 63

3.5.1

Number of food shops in each ARIA ............................................................................... 64

3.5.2

Availability of HFAB, FV and FFV in each ARIA ............................................................. 65

3.5.3

Cost of HFAB, FV and FFV in each ARIA ....................................................................... 67

3.5.3.1 Two adults and two children ....................................................................................... 67 3.5.3.2 One adult and two children ......................................................................................... 70 3.5.3.3 Single adult male......................................................................................................... 73 4.0

Conclusion .................................................................................................................................. 76

5.0

References .................................................................................................................................. 77

6.0

Appendix ..................................................................................................................................... 80

6.1

HFAT project governance ........................................................................................................ 80

6.2

Fruit and Vegetable (FV) and Fresh Fruit and Vegetable (FFV) component of Healthy Food Access Basket (HFAB)............................................................................................................. 82

6.3

Summary of the cost of HFAB, FV and FFV by four family types ............................................ 83

6.4

Summary of the affordability of HFAB, FV and FFV by four family types ................................ 85

6.5

HFAB quantities for each family type ....................................................................................... 87


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List of Tables Table 1 Forty-four food items included in HFAB data collection ............................................................. 3 Table 2 Definition of shop categories ...................................................................................................... 4 Table 3 Actual number of food shops where data was collected............................................................ 6 Table 4 Number of food shops where data was collected by SEIFA tertile ........................................... 7 Table 5 Government assistance income by family type as at December 2013 ..................................... 7 Table 6 Total number of food shops in Tasmania by SEIFA tertile ...................................................... 10 Table 7 Mean availability of HFAB items in food shops categories by SEIFA tertile ............................ 12 Table 8 Food shops meeting eligibility criteria for HFAB by SEIFA tertile ............................................ 13 Table 9 Food shops meeting eligibility criteria for FV and FFV component of HFAB.......................... 14 Table 10 Cost (in AUD) of HFAB in Tasmania and by SEIFA tertiles for two adults and two children. 15 Table 11 Cost (in AUD) of HFAB for two adults and two children by food shop categories and SEIFA tertiles ........................................................................................................................................... 16 Table 12 Cost (in AUD) of FV component of HFAB for two adults and two children by shop category and SEIFA tertile .......................................................................................................................... 19 Table 13 Cost (in AUD) of FFV component of HFAB for two adults and two children by shop category and SEIFA tertile .......................................................................................................................... 20 Table 14 Cost (in AUD) of HFAB in Tasmania and by SEIFA tertiles for one adult and two children . 21 Table 15 Cost (in AUD) of HFAB for one adult and two children by shop category and SEIFA tertile . 22 Table 16 Cost (in AUD) of FV component of HFAB for one adult and two children by shop category and SEIFA tertile .......................................................................................................................... 23 Table 17 Cost (in AUD) of FFV component of HFAB for one adult and two children by shop category and SEIFA tertile .......................................................................................................................... 24 Table 18 Cost (in AUD) of HFAB in Tasmania and by SEIFA tertiles for a single adult male ............. 25 Table 19 Cost (in AUD) of HFAB for a single adult male by shop category by SEIFA tertile .............. 26 Table 20 Cost (in AUD) of FV component of HFAB for a single adult male by shop category and SEIFA tertile ................................................................................................................................. 27 Table 21 Cost (in AUD) of FFV component of HFAB for a single male by shop category and SEIFA tertile ............................................................................................................................................. 28 Table 22 Cost (in AUD) of HFAB in Tasmania and by SEIFA tertiles for an older female .................. 29 Table 23 Cost (in AUD) of HFAB for an older female by shop category and SEIFA tertile .................. 30 Table 24 Cost (in AUD) of FV component of HFAB for an older female by shop category and SEIFA tertile ............................................................................................................................................. 31 Table 25 Cost (in AUD) of FFV component of HFAB for an older female by shop category and SEIFA tertile ............................................................................................................................................. 32 Table 26 Government assistance income by family type as at December 2013 ................................. 33 Table 27 Number and category of food shops in each LGA and SEIFA tertile ................................... 41 Table 28 Number of food shops included in HFAB dataset from 28 LGAs across Tasmania .............. 42 University of Tasmania

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Table 29 Number of food shops with at least 80% (60% for General and Convenience Shops) of the HFAB items on shelves for individual LGAs ................................................................................. 43 Table 30 Number of food shops with at least 90% of FV and FFV on shelves for individual LGAs ..... 44 Table 31 Cost (in AUD) of HFAB, by family type by LGA, where food shops were able to be deidentified ....................................................................................................................................... 45 Table 32 Cost (in AUD) of FV, by family type by LGA, where food shops were able to be de-identified ...................................................................................................................................................... 46 Table 33 Cost (in AUD) of FFV, by family type by LGA, where food shops were able to be deidentified ....................................................................................................................................... 47 Table 34 SA4 regions of TasmaniaRefer to ABS, 2011c for SA4 regions ........................................... 48 Table 35 Number of food shops where data was collected by shop category and SA4 ...................... 48 Table 36 Actual number of food shops where data was collected by SA4 and shop category ............ 49 Table 37 Mean availability of HFAB items by shop category and SA4 ................................................ 49 Table 38 Food shops meeting eligibility criteria for HFAB by SA4 and shop category ........................ 50 Table 39 Mean availability of FV and FFV components of HFAB by shop category and SA4 ............. 50 Table 40 Cost (in AUD) of HFAB for two adults and two children by shop category and SA4 ............. 51 Table 41 Cost (in AUD) of FV component of HFAB two adults and 2 children by shop category and SA4 ............................................................................................................................................... 52 Table 42 Cost (in AUD) of FFV component of HFAB for two adults and 2 children by shop category and SA4 ........................................................................................................................................ 53 Table 43 Cost (in AUD) of the HFAB for one adult and two children by shop categories and SA4 ..... 54 Table 44 Cost (in AUD) of the FV component of the HFAB one adult and two children by shop category and SA4 ......................................................................................................................... 55 Table 45 Cost (in AUD) of the FFV component of HFAB one adult and two children by shop category and SA4 ........................................................................................................................................ 56 Table 46 Cost (in AUD) of the HFAB for single adult male by shop category and SA4 ....................... 57 Table 47 Cost (in AUD) of FV component of HFAB for a single adult by shop category and SA4 ....... 58 Table 48 Cost (in AUD) of the FFV component of HFAB for single adult by shop category and SA4 . 59 Table 49 Cost (in AUD) of the HFAB for older female by shop category and SA4 ............................... 60 Table 50 Cost (in AUD) of FV component of HFAB for an older female by shop category and SA4 ... 61 Table 51 Cost (in AUD) of the FFV component of HFAB for an older female by shop category and SA4 ............................................................................................................................................... 62 Table 52 ARIA classification by shop category and LGAs .................................................................... 64 Table 53 Total number of food shops where data was collected.......................................................... 65 Table 54 Mean availability of HFAB by shop category and ARIA ......................................................... 65 Table 55 Food shops meeting eligibility criteria for HFAB by ARIA ...................................................... 66 Table 56 Cost (in AUD) of HFAB for two adults and two children by shop category and ARIA ........... 67 Table 57 Cost (in AUD) of FV component of HFAB for two adults and two children by shop category and ARIA ...................................................................................................................................... 68 Table 58 Cost (in AUD) of FFV for two adults and two children by shop category and ARIA .............. 69


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Table 59 Cost (in AUD) of HFAB for one adult and two children by shop category and ARIA ............. 70 Table 60 Cost (in AUD) of FV component of HFAB for one adult and two children by shop category and ARIA ...................................................................................................................................... 71 Table 61 Cost (in AUD) of FFV component of HFAB for one adult and two children by shop category and by ARIA ................................................................................................................................. 72 Table 62 Cost (in AUD) of HFAB for a single adult male by shop category by ARIA ........................... 73 Table 63 Cost (in AUD) of FV component of HFAB for single adult by shop category and ARIA ........ 74 Table 64 Cost (in AUD) of FFV component of HFAB for a single adult male by shop category and ARIA ............................................................................................................................................. 75 Table 65 List of the FV and FFV items included in the HFAB .............................................................. 82 Table 66 Cost (in AUD) of the HFAB for four family types by shop category ...................................... 83 Table 67 Cost (in AUD) of the FV component of HFAB for four family types by shop category .......... 83 Table 68 Cost (in AUD) of the FFV component of HFAB per fortnight for four family types by shop category ........................................................................................................................................ 84 Table 69 Percentage of Government assistance income required to purchase the HFAB for four family types by shop category ...................................................................................................... 85 Table 70 Percentage of Government assistance income required to purchase FV component of HFAB for four family types by shop category ............................................................................... 85 Table 71 Percentage of Government assistance income required to purchase FFV component of HFAB for four family types by shop category ............................................................................... 86 Table 72 Forty-four food items and quantities per family type used in the HFAB ................................ 87


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List of Figures Figure 1 Cost (in AUD) of HFAB for two adults and two children by shop category and by SEIFA tertiles presented as median and an interquartile range .............................................................. 17 Figure 2 Percentage of Government assistance income required to purchase the HFAB for two adults and two children by shop category presented as median and interquartile range ....................... 34 Figure 3 Percentage of Government assistance income required to purchase the HFAB for two adults and two children by shop category and SEIFA presented as median and interquartile range .... 35 Figure 4 Percentage of Government assistance income required to purchase the FFV component of the HFAB for two adults and two children by shop category presented as median and interquartile range......................................................................................................................... 36 Figure 5 Percentage of Government assistance income required to purchase the HFAB for one adult and two children by shop category presented as median and interquartile range ....................... 37 Figure 6 Percentage of Government assistance income required to purchase the HFAB for a single adult male by shop category presented as median and interquartile range ................................ 38 Figure 7 Percentage of Government Assistance Income required to purchase the HFAB for an older female by shop category presented as median and interquartile range ...................................... 39 Figure 8 Governance Chart Healthy Food Access Tasmania (HFAT) and the HFAB Project ............. 81


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List of abbreviations and Acronyms ABS:

Australian Bureau of Statistics

ARIA:

Accessibility/Remoteness Index of Australia

FFV:

Fresh fruit and vegetables (excluding orange juice)

FV:

Fruit and vegetables (excluding orange juice)

HFAB:

Healthy Food Access Basket

HFB:

Healthy Food Basket

HFAT:

Healthy Food Access Tasmania

LGA:

Local Government Area

NHMRC:

National Health and Medical Research Council

NRVs:

Nutrition Reference Values

SEIFA:

Socio-Economic Index For Area

SA1:

Statistical Area 1

SA4:

Statistical Area 4

TFARC:

Tasmanian Food Access Research Coalition

UTAS:



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Glossary Accessibility/Remoteness Index of Australia Accessibility/Remoteness Index of Australia (ARIA) is a classification used to measure and classify the remoteness of populated localities in relation to ‘service centres’ of various sizes (ABS, 2011b). ARIA defines six categories of remoteness based on road distance to service centres, and is available for a variety of geographical units including localities, census collection districts, statistical local areas and postcodes and ranges from highly accessible to very remote (Table 52). Family Types The four family types: two adults and two children; a single mother and two children; a single adults male; and a single older female, are the same as those described in the Victorian Healthy Food Basket (VHFB) (Palermo and Wilson, 2007) (p7). Family types were determined by identifying the most common age and sex of family members from the 2003 Australian Bureau of Statistics Family Characteristics Survey (ABS, 2011a) and the 2001 Census of Population and Housing (ABS, 2009). These families types also reflect those most affected by food insecurity (Booth and Smith, 2001). Food Access The socio-economic determinants that influence a person’s ability to acquire fresh and nutritious food. This includes physical access, financial access, and other access issues. Food Affordability Affordability is defined as the cost of the diet of a household relative to the household’s income (Lee et al., 2013). Food Security The ability of individuals, households and communities to acquire food that is healthy, sustainable, affordable appropriate and accessible (Rychetnik et al., 2003).


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Fruit & Vegetable and Fresh Fruit & Vegetable component of Healthy Food Access Basket The Fruit and Vegetable (FV) component of the HFAB includes 17 fresh, tinned and dried items (excluding orange juice) whilst the Fresh Fruit and Vegetables (FFV) component of the HFAB comprises 10 items which includes 3 fruits and 7 vegetables. For a list of specific items refer to Table 65. Generic Brand Generic brands, often referred to as private label products, are typically those products manufactured or provided by one company for offer under another company’s brand. They are often positioned as low cost alternatives to company branded products or ‘name’ brands. Over recent years some generic brands have been positioned as "premium" brands to compete with existing "name" brands 3. Government Assistance income This is defined as a social security payment or financial aid from the government because of hardship and need (Table 26). Healthy Diet A ‘healthy’ diet is defined as one that provides recommended amounts of foods, nutrients and other food components, within estimated energy requirements, to promote normal growth and development in children, reduce risk of obesity and non-communicable diseases, and promote optimum well-being, consistent with national dietary guidelines/recommendations (NHMRC, 2013). Healthy Food Access Basket The Healthy Food Access Basket (HFAB) is a tool used to monitor food price. The HFAB used in this study includes forty-four (44) core and non-core food items (Table 1) representing commonly available and popular food choices selected to meet the Nutrition Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand (NHMRC, 2005) . This HFAB includes at least 85% of all individuals’ nutrient requirements and at least 95% of all energy requirements for all members in four family types for a fortnight. The range and types of foods included in the Tasmanian HFAB are the same as the Victorian Healthy Food Basket (Palermo and Wilson, 2007) which is based on a ‘healthy’ diet.


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Healthy Food Access Tasmania Project Healthy Food Access Tasmania (HFAT) is a project funded by the Australian Government’s Department of Health through Tasmania Medicare Local with Heart Foundation (Tasmanian Division) as lead agency and UTAS as major partner. The HFAT project seeks to make healthy food choices easy choices by ensuring that fresh foods (preferably locally grown) are readily available across Tasmania contributing towards addressing the project’s important health, economic and social objective. UTAS has been responsible for undertaking the 2014 Tasmanian HFAB survey component of this larger project (Figure 8). Interquartile Range The interquartile range (IQR) is a measure of variability, based on dividing a data set into quartiles (Figure 1 to 7). Quartiles divide a rank-ordered data set into four equal parts. The values that divide each part are called the first, second, and third quartiles; and they are denoted by Q1, Q2, and Q3, respectively. 

Q1 is the “middle” value in the first half of the rank-ordered data set.  Q2 is the “median” value in the set.  Q3 is the “middle” value in the second half of the rank-ordered data set. The interquartile range is equal to Q3 minus Q1. Local Government Area The Local Government Area (LGA) is a geographical area under the responsibility of an incorporated local government council or municipality. Median Denoting or relating to a value or quantity lying at the midpoint of a frequency distribution of observed values or quantities, such that there is an equal probability of falling above or below it. Mean The mean is the average value of a set of numbers. PhARIA PhARIA is a composite ARIA index, which incorporates measurements of general remoteness. The location of over 13,000 populated localities in Australia has been used in the development of this index.


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Socio-Economic Index For Area Socio-Economic Index For Area (SEIFA) is a measure of socio-economic disadvantage and advantage by geographic area created from socio and economic Australian Bureau of Statistics Census information. SEIFA Tertile Tertiles divide a distribution into three equal groups. For the purpose of this study we divided the range of SEIFA scores into tertiles. SEIFA 1 denotes the lowest scoring 33% of areas (score range 589-779) representing the most disadvantaged areas. SEIFA 2 denotes the middle 33% of areas (score range of 780-968) whilst SEIFA 3 denotes the highest 33% of areas (score range of 969-1158) representing the least disadvantaged area. Shop Categories For this study the Tasmanian food retail structure has been defined as four shop categories including; i) Major Supermarkets, ii) Minor Supermarkets, iii) General and Convenience Shops and iv) Fruit and Vegetable Shops (Table 2). ‘Specials’ and Discounted Items These are items sold at a reduced price compared to the standard price stated (Section 2.2). Statistical Area 4 Regions The Statistical Area 4 (SA4) regions are geographical areas that provide what is considered to be the best sub-state socio-economic breakdown data (ABS, 2010a). SA4s generally have populations over 100,000 people. Labour markets have been a key consideration in the design of SA4s. The reason for this is that labour force data has two geographic components to it - the labour supply (where people live) and demand (where people work). In Tasmania there are four SA4 regions which include Hobart, Launceston & North East, South East and West & North West Tasmania (Table 34).


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Acknowledgements This research project was undertaken by the School of Health Science, University of Tasmania (UTAS) from December 2013 to September 2014. Funding for this project was received from the Australian Government’s Department of Health through Tasmania Medicare Local. UTAS has been responsible for undertaking various components of the delivery of the larger project “Poor Diet, Nutrition, Food Security and Obesity Project” with Heart Foundation (Tasmanian Division) as lead agency. The original project title “Poor Diet, Nutrition, Food Security and Obesity Project” was amended to the “Healthy Food Access Tasmania Project (HFAT)” as it was deemed that this project title better reflected the key aims and objectives of the project and provided greater clarity at the community level. Further information on the overall governance for the HFAT project can be found in 1.6.1. This report relates specifically to one of the key project initiatives, the Tasmanian Healthy Food Basket (HFAB) Survey. The HFAB survey was the first deliverable under the broader HFAT Project. This project received ethics approval from the Tasmania Social Sciences Human Research Ethics Committee (Ethics Ref: H0013600) on the 29th October 2013. The authors would like to thank the proprietors of all food shops who graciously provided access to their premises for the survey. The authors would also like to acknowledge the commitment and support of the three Regional Food Coordinators for this project including Bridget Stewart, Lisa Kelly and Michael Bok. The authors would also like to thank the members of the HFAT Reference Group who provided guidance and support for the project. Finally, the authors would also like to express gratitude to staff at all contributing Local Government Area Councils who provided advice as to the location of registered food shops within their council area.


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Executive Summary The 2014 Tasmanian Healthy Food Access Basket (HFAB) survey is the first statewide cross-sectional survey focussing on the availability, cost and affordability of a basket of basic healthy food items throughout Tasmania. The range and types of foods contained in the HFAB includes 44 food items, from five core food groups (Table 1). These core food groups include cereals (9 items), fresh fruit and vegetables (10 items) as well as additional fruit and vegetables that were canned, dried and juiced (8 items), meat and meat alternatives (9 items), and dairy (5 items) plus three non-core food items. They represent commonly available and popular food choices selected to meet at least 85% of all individuals nutrient requirements and at least 95% of energy requirements for all members in four reference families for a fortnight based on Nutrition Reference Values (NRVs) (NHMRC, 2005). All brands (generic/private labels and company ‘name’ brands) were included in the survey as well as ‘specials’ on the day of testing. Food shop selection was based on four shops categories including Major Supermarkets, Minor Supermarkets, General and Convenience Shops and Fruit and Vegetable Shops (Table 2). Analysis focussed on availability, cost and affordability of the HFAB and the Fruit and Vegetable (FV) (excluding orange juice) and Fresh Fruit and Vegetable (FFV) (excluding orange juice) components of the HFAB (Table 65) at the geographical levels of state-wide (Section 3.2), Statistical Area 4 (SA4) regions (Section 3.4) and Local Government Areas (LGAs) (Section 3.3) as well as Socio-Economic Index For Area (SEIFA) (Section 3.2) and Accessibility/Remoteness Index of Australia (ARIA) (Section 3.5). General findings Shop Categories and Location State-wide approximately 14% of food shops (out of a total of 353) were Major Supermarket, 23% Minor Supermarkets, 47% General and Convenience Shops and 16% were Fruit and Vegetable Shops with Major Supermarkets being absent from 8 LGAs. There was a predominance of up to 47% of General and Convenience Shops in Tasmania.


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Within each SEIFA tertile 5.3% of food shops were located in SEIFA 1 (most disadvantaged), 57.3% located in SEIFA 2, and 37.4% located in SEIFA 3 (least disadvantaged) areas. Within SEIFA 1 there were 4 Major Supermarkets, 7 Minor Supermarkets, 6 General and Convenience Shops and 2 Fruit and Vegetable Shops. The survey of the HFAB availability and cost was carried out in 142 out of 353 food shops across 28 of 29 LGAs. Availability The mean availability of the HFAB food items in Major Supermarkets was 43.7 food items, Minor Supermarkets was 40.9 and General and Convenience Shops 27.4. This indicated that the availability of the HFAB food items was dependent on the category of shop. A key observation from the analysis of availability suggests that it is more difficult for people shopping in regions, where there is limited or no access to Major and Minor Supermarkets, to purchase a full HFAB. There is a predominance of up to 47% of General and Convenience Shops in Tasmania. The data indicate that only 35% of the General and Convenience Shops had ≥80% and 55% had ≥60% of the HFAB items available. Given that only a limited number of the General and Convenience Shops stocked a full HFAB it reduced the ability of residents to buy healthy food where access was limited to this particular shop category. General and Convenience Shops were more likely to stock the fresh fruit and vegetable component of the HFAB than a full HFAB. Cost Results suggest that there was considerable difference between the cost of the HFAB, between shop categories with the pattern of difference being consistent across all family types irrespective of area and SEIFA. The FFV component of the HFAB was less expensive when purchased from a Fruit and Vegetable Shops than from a Major or Minor Supermarkets from a state perspective irrespective of region. People with easy access to Major Supermarkets may be able to buy a less expensive HFAB than people who prefer to buy at, or who may have access only to, the Minor Supermarkets or General and Convenience Shops. Irrespective of SEIFA Major Supermarkets were the least expensive shop in which to purchase a basket of healthy food. University of Tasmania

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Affordability A family with easy access to a Major Supermarket will need to spend the least amount of their Government assistance income on healthy food compared to families having access to only General and Convenience Shops, irrespective of the location of the shop based on socio-economic area (SEIFA). FFV were, however, similarly affordable in spite of geographical effects. The percentage of Government assistance income required to purchase the HFAB for two adult and two children was least expensive for residents living in the Hobart (SA4) region and most expensive in the West and Northwest (SA4) region. Conclusion In conclusion, the results of the 2014 survey highlight considerable variability in the availability and cost of the HFAB. Access to healthy food may be more challenging in regional areas if people have to use a limited range of food shops particularly General and Convenience Shops. Families living in towns serviced by a limited number of food shops and shop categories may also be at a disadvantage in their ability to access healthy food if they do not have transport to a supermarket. Whilst FFV were similarly priced the differences were largely in other HFAB food items and may be influenced by ‘specials’ and generic brands reducing costs in Major and Minor Supermarkets. The cost of healthy food relative to income for low income groups continues to be of concern. There is a need to undertake further state-wide HFAB research across all LGAs over time and consider what is happening for the individual/family as well as in the shops. Monitoring the cost of healthy food is an important strategy towards addressing food insecurity in Tasmania.


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1.0 Introduction The overarching aim of the HFAT project is to make healthy food choices easier by ensuring that fresh fruit and vegetables (preferably locally grown) are readily available across Tasmania. Achieving the project aim is reliant on mapping local determinants of healthy eating and supporting the building local solutions which increase access to fruit and vegetables within communities across Tasmania. This report provides the findings from the first project delivered under the HFAT framework, the HFAB Survey. The aim of the 2014 Tasmanian HFAB Survey is to determine the availability, cost and affordability of healthy food with a particular emphasis on fruit and vegetables, in all local government areas across Tasmania. In particular, the HFAB survey provides information at a state-wide, SEIFA, LGA, SA4 and ARIA level relating to: 

The availability of a healthy food access basket (HFAB);



The cost of the HFAB including the Fruit and Vegetable (FV) and Fresh Fruit and Vegetable (FFV) components of the HFAB for four family types in four shop categories;



The affordability of the HFAB including the FV and FFV components of the HFAB for four family types, in four shop categories across Tasmania.


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2.0 Methodology In Australia there is no regular national survey to monitor and compare food cost, affordability and availability in both metropolitan and regional areas. The methodology for the Tasmanian HFAB survey was informed by the VHFB (Palermo and Wilson, 2007) and local knowledge gained through the Tasmanian Food Access Research Coalition (TFARC) (Le et al., 2013) project that was conducted in 2011-2012 in two local government areas of Tasmania. Both methodologies informed the development of a specific approach for the Tasmanian HFAB. In order to obtain a comprehensive description of the availability, cost and affordability of food across Tasmanian the HFAB survey tool, including a list of 44 pre-defined grocery items, was used for data collection. This is the same list of 44 grocery items included in the VHFB survey (Palermo and Wilson, 2007).

2.1 HFAB survey tool Availability and price information was collected on the 44 foods (Table 1) of specific weight range. Price was collected for the cheapest brand (including ‘specials’ and discounted items) irrespective of whether it was a ‘branded’ or a generic brand item. During data collection, it was noted whether a particular food was available at a special/discounted price on the day of the data collection.


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Table 1 Forty-four food items included in HFAB data collection White Bread (650-700g)

Reduced Fat Flavoured Yoghurt (1kg) Pumpkin (1.5 kg or less)

Fresh Shoulder Ham (2kg or less)

Wholemeal Bread (650-700g)

Full fat long life milk (1L)

Cabbage (half)

Beef Mince, Regular (2kg or less)

Crumpets (500g or less)

Cheese Block (500g)

Lettuce (whole)

Lamb Chops, Forequarter (2kg or less)

Wheat Biscuits (700g-1.3kg)

Apples (2kg or less)

Carrots (2kg or less)

Chicken Breast Fillets, Skin Off (2kg or less)

Instant Oats (500g-1kg)

Oranges (2kg or less)

Onions (1kg)

Sausages, Thin (Beef) (2kg or less)

Pasta (500g)

Bananas (1kg)

Frozen Peas (1kg)

Tinned Tuna (unsaturated fat) (400500g)

White Rice (1kg)

Tinned Fruit Salad, natural juice (450g -1kg)

Tinned Tomatoes (1kg or less)

Tinned Salmon, Pink (water) (200250g)

Instant Noodles (1pk or up-to 10pk at