Candy-bag size in Danish supermarkets and purchasing behaviour: a cluster-crossover intervention examining the association between candy-bag size and the amount of pick and mix candy purchased.

Authors

Pernille Boukaïdi Lundgaard, Brian Køster, Susanne Tøttenborg, Sofia de Moura Lourenço

Published in

BMC public health. Jul 20, 2026. Epub Jul 20, 2026.

Abstract

The amount of candy sold in Denmark peaked in 2021, and sales of pick and mix candy (loose candy selected and mixed by consumers) have increased substantially since 2013. A high consumption of sugary products increases the risk of weight gain, overweight, and obesity. This study aims to test whether the size of candy bags influences the amount of pick and mix candy purchased in Danish supermarkets.
We examined the effect of two candy-bag sizes on the weight of pick and mix candy purchased in a crossover design in 10 supermarkets for 12 weeks. The cluster crossover intervention was conducted in cooperation with the supermarket chain Rema 1000. During the first six weeks of the intervention, five supermarkets provided a small candy bag and five provided a large candy bag, after which the candy-bag sizes were switched for the remaining six weeks.
A total of 35,512 transactions of pick and mix candy were recorded during the 12-week period. More pick and mix candy (8.7%) was purchased in supermarkets that provided the large candy bag (339 g [95% CI: 335.51-342.49]) compared to supermarkets that provided the small bag (312 g [95% CI: 309.02-314.98]). We found a negative association between price levels and the mean weight of pick and mix candy purchased. Results showed the average weight of pick and mix candy per transaction was 38% higher in the supermarket with lowest price level per 100 g compared to supermarkets with highest price level per 100 g.
Candy-bag size was significantly associated with purchases of pick and mix candy. Consumers purchased less pick and mix candy when smaller bags were provided compared to larger bags. Results suggest that downsizing candy bags in supermarkets' pick and mix departments may influence this specific purchasing behaviour. Following the presentation of the study's results, Rema 1000 chose to discontinue the large candy bag in all pick and mix departments in their supermarkets. More research is needed on environmental influences on purchases of pick and mix candy and potential substitution effects with other snack or savoury products.

PMID:
42477688
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 21 Jul 2026.

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