A Comparative Analysis of Food Retail Policy Landscape in Four Southeast Asian Countries

A Comparative Analysis of Food Retail Policy Landscape in Four Southeast Asian Countries

Nutrition policy

Sirinya Phulkerd, Weerapak Samsiripong, Elaine Q. Borazon, Wai Siew Teh, Adila Fahmida Saptari, Mohd Jamil Sameeha, Azka Aulia Fitri, Suci Trisnasari, Penny Farrell, Anne-Marie Thow, Bee Koon Poh

The Lancet Regional Health - Southeast Asia

Vol. 43

2025

Elsevier

Comparative study

English

27723682

Southeast Asia

Open Access

Changing food retail environment in Southeast Asia has been linked with nutrition transition. While policy on food retail tends to focus on economic considerations, little is known about how nutrition considerations are integrated. This paper examines the landscape of policies addressing food retail and health in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand to inform global nutrition targets. Food retail policy landscapes in the study countries were thematically analyzed using Walt & Gilson's Policy Analysis Triangle framework. The analysis revealed that food retail policies were predominantly shaped by health, economic development, and politics, with nutrition maintaining low salience and being subsumed within food safety considerations. The study countries represented a complex food policy landscape requiring inter-sectoral collaboration and multi-level governance, yet formal monitoring mechanisms and evidence remained limited. This study recommends developing a comprehensive regional-level roadmap to support healthy food retail initiatives. By aligning nutrition priorities with existing economic and health governance systems, countries can better implement nutrition-sensitive retail policies.

Edrina Adjei-Manu