Healthy eating and the UK's major food retailers: a case study in corporate social responsibility

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to offer a preliminary case study exploration of the ways in which the UK's top ten food retailers are addressing healthy eating agendas as part of their CSR agendas and how these agendas are being promoted within their stores. Design/methodology/approach The paper begins with a short discussion of the healthy eating of CSR and a brief outline of food retailing within the UK. The paper draws its empirical material from the CSR reports and information posted on the world wide web by the UK's top ten food retailers and from a simple inspection and information collection survey conducted in the largest store in Cheltenham and Gloucester, UK operated by each of these ten retailers. Findings The findings reveal that there are considerable variations in the extent to which healthy eating is addressed in the CSR information posted on the world wide web by the top ten food retailers and how healthy eating is promoted within stores. The paper concludes that the leading food retailers could do more to address healthy eating agendas within stores. Research limitations/implications The current case is a preliminary exploration of the ways in which the leading UK food retailers are addressing healthy eating issues as part of their CSR agendas and while it raises a number of interesting issues, more work will be needed before any definitive conclusions can be drawn. Originality/value The paper provides an accessible review of the ways the UK's leading food retailers are addressing healthy eating issues as part of their CSR agendas and as such it will interest academics and practitioners working in and on both this sector of the retail marketplace and health promotion.