If like me, you’ve ever wandered down the aisles of any supermarket in Ireland, you may have noticed a pattern: sweets, snacks, fizzy drinks, and other less healthy options frequently dominate special offers. In contrast, fresh fruit, vegetables, lean meats, and other nutritious foods often seem relegated to their standard prices or are rarely highlighted as promotional deals. This trend isn’t unique to one store chain; it’s prevalent across SuperValu, Tesco, Dunnes, Aldi, Lidl, and other major supermarkets.
But why is this the case? Here are some of the key reasons behind this imbalance in promotions:
1. Profit Margins: Processed Foods are Cheaper to Produce
Highly processed and sugary foods often have higher profit margins for supermarkets. The cost to produce sweets, soft drinks, and snacks is generally lower because they rely on cheap ingredients like sugar, refined grains, and artificial additives. These products can be stored for long periods without refrigeration, reducing costs for the retailer.
In contrast, fresh produce, meats, and dairy products have much shorter shelf lives, require careful handling, and often need to be stored in refrigerated sections. These factors increase the cost for supermarkets, making it less profitable to offer discounts on these items.
2. Consumer Demand: Unhealthy Foods are Popular
Supermarkets are in the business of selling what their customers want, and there’s a simple truth: sweets and snacks sell fast, especially when on promotion. These items tap into our cravings for sugar, salt, and fat—foods that trigger pleasure responses in the brain.
By putting sugary and fatty foods on special offer, supermarkets are catering to this high demand, ensuring that customers buy more and return to take advantage of future deals. Healthy foods, though important, are not as strongly tied to impulsive purchases, meaning they may not drive the same level of sales when discounted.
3. Brand-Driven Promotions
In many cases, the special offers you see in supermarkets are not funded by the supermarkets themselves but by the brands. Major food manufacturers, particularly those that produce processed snacks, sweets, and drinks, have the marketing budgets to support regular promotional cycles.
These manufacturers push retailers to stock their products and offer incentives such as discounts or promotional pricing, helping both the brand and the supermarket boost sales. In contrast, the fresh produce sector does not have large corporations behind it to push for the same level of discounting.
4. Longer Shelf Life and Less Waste
Processed foods and snacks have a much longer shelf life compared to fresh foods. This means that supermarkets can stockpile these products without worrying about spoilage or waste, allowing them to put items on special offer without the risk of loss.
Fresh fruits, vegetables, and meats spoil quickly, and while you may see some short-term markdowns to clear stock close to expiration, long-term promotional offers on these products would result in higher waste and lower profitability for the retailer.
5. Health Perception and Pricing
Healthy foods, particularly those labeled as organic, free-range, or sustainably sourced, often carry higher price tags due to the costs associated with their production. Supermarkets may be reluctant to offer discounts on these items because of the perception that they are premium products, with consumers willing to pay more for perceived quality.
Meanwhile, junk foods are seen as everyday products, more likely to be sold in bulk or as part of a larger shopping basket. Supermarkets are thus more inclined to make these items more attractive through special offers, even if the long-term cost to public health is significant.
6. Impulse Buying Psychology
Special offers on sweets, chocolates, and crisps are often placed at strategic points throughout the store—such as near the checkout—to encourage impulse buying. These items are small, affordable, and easy to throw into the basket without much thought. Healthy foods, particularly fresh produce, are less likely to be picked up on impulse, making them less effective in these high-traffic areas.
Supermarkets have spent years studying consumer behaviour, and they know that eye-catching promotions on less healthy items can drive up both footfall and spending. Unfortunately, fresh vegetables and fruits simply don’t lend themselves as easily to this kind of impulse purchasing.
The Impact on Health
The lack of regular promotions on healthy foods contributes to poor dietary choices in Ireland, which is already facing rising levels of obesity and diet-related illnesses. For lower-income households, the appeal of inexpensive processed foods on offer often outweighs the motivation to buy fresh produce, which can appear more expensive in comparison.
To encourage healthier eating habits, there is a growing call for supermarkets to reconsider their promotional strategies and make nutritious options more accessible to consumers. This could involve increasing discounts on fruit, vegetables, and whole foods, and placing these healthier choices in prime locations to make them more visible and attractive.
Conclusion
While it’s easy to blame supermarkets for not putting enough emphasis on healthy foods, the issue is complex, involving profitability, consumer demand, and industry practices. For now, the reality is that sweets and snacks will likely continue to dominate special offers unless there is a significant shift in public demand or government regulation that encourages healthier choices.
Until then, Irish consumers who are health-conscious will need to be more selective about what they put in their baskets and watch for occasional offers on healthy foods when they do arise.