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Supermarkets should introduce buddy schemes in which volunteers assist older people with their shopping, says the report

Supermarkets should tailor their in-store environments to the elderly rather than steering them towards online shopping, a study from the University of Hertfordshire has urged.

Over-60s valued “the opportunity for social interaction” that came with a trip to the supermarket, found a nine-month study of men and women aged 60-93 in Hertfordshire.

As a result, none of the 25 households involved in the study shopped online for food despite the majority having internet access through tablets, smartphones and computers.

The shoppers said they would consider online shopping if they became less mobile and researchers recommended supermarkets could tailor these services to the elderly - for example, by allowing delivery drivers to spend more time helping put shopping away and reducing spend thresholds.

But researchers argued that the focus should be on improving in-store environments. The study participants said they would welcome slower checkout lanes for those who enjoy the “more social aspect” of shopping.

They also would prefer more relevant in-store offers, which they felt were geared towards larger purchases that they could not carry home or consume by themselves.

The study suggested supermarkets could additionally promote lunches for older people in their on-site cafés and introduce buddy schemes in which volunteers assist older people with their shopping.

“Our research shows older people are more likely to have a wide range of factors working against them when it comes to sourcing, buying and preparing food - including on their trips to the shops,” said Wendy Wills, professor of food and public health at the University of Hertfordshire.

“The food industry and policymakers have a real opportunity to introduce practical and cost-effective measures that support older people to enjoy a healthy, affordable and safe diet, and to develop, or continue with, a positive relationship with food. Failure to act could result in older people’s food security, and therefore their health and wellbeing, declining at a faster rate, placing greater pressure on the NHS and care providers.”