The Relationship between Corner Stores and the Ultra-processed Food and Beverage Industry in Guatemala : Stocking, Advertising, and Trust

Corner stores are the main venue for ultra-processed food sales in Guatemala. We conducted 30 interviews with corner store proprietors to determine the strategies used by food and beverage industry distributors to deliver products and place point- of-sale advertising. We find that proprietors and distributors develop long-term relationships which influence promotions, product placement, stocking decisions, and point-of-sale advertisement of ultra-processed foods (UPF). In addition, proprietors are often reluctant to independently stock or recommend healthy food products because of perceived financial risk or customer dissatisfaction. From a healthcare policy perspective, regulation of proprietor-distributor relationships is a possible strategy to reduce UPF consumption