scholarly journals Differences in healthy food supply and stocking practices between small grocery stores, gas-marts, pharmacies and dollar stores

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 540-547 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caitlin Eicher Caspi ◽  
Jennifer E Pelletier ◽  
Lisa Harnack ◽  
Darin J Erickson ◽  
Melissa N Laska
Keyword(s):  
Food Supply ◽  
Healthy Food ◽  
Customer Engagement ◽  
Grocery Stores ◽  
Traditional Food ◽  
Healthy Foods ◽  
Food Retailers ◽  
Fresh Vegetables ◽  
Manager Perceptions ◽  
Food Offerings

AbstractObjectiveLittle is known about the practices for stocking and procuring healthy food in non-traditional food retailers (e.g. gas-marts, pharmacies). The present study aimed to: (i) compare availability of healthy food items across small food store types; and (ii) examine owner/manager perceptions and stocking practices for healthy food across store types.DesignDescriptive analyses were conducted among corner/small grocery stores, gas-marts, pharmacies and dollar stores. Data from store inventories were used to examine availability of twelve healthy food types and an overall healthy food supply score. Interviews with managers assessed stocking practices and profitability.SettingSmall stores in Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN, USA, not participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children.SubjectsOne hundred and nineteen small food retailers and seventy-one store managers.ResultsAvailability of specific items varied across store type. Only corner/small grocery stores commonly sold fresh vegetables (63 % v. 8 % of gas-marts, 0 % of dollar stores and 23 % of pharmacies). More than half of managers stocking produce relied on cash-and-carry practices to stock fresh fruit (53 %) and vegetables (55 %), instead of direct store delivery. Most healthy foods were perceived by managers to have at least average profitability.ConclusionsInterventions to improve healthy food offerings in small stores should consider the diverse environments, stocking practices and supply mechanisms of small stores, particularly non-traditional food retailers. Improvements may require technical support, customer engagement and innovative distribution practices.

scholarly journals Evaluation of the first U.S. staple foods ordinance: impact on nutritional quality of food store offerings, customer purchases and home food environments

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa N. Laska ◽  
Caitlin E. Caspi ◽  
Kathleen Lenk ◽  
Stacey G. Moe ◽  
Jennifer E. Pelletier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Environments ◽  
Healthy Foods ◽  
Food Stores ◽  
Food Retailers ◽  
Home Food ◽  
Customer Purchases ◽  
Staple Foods ◽  
Time Required ◽  
Food Offerings ◽  
The U.S

Abstract Background Many lower-income and racially diverse communities in the U.S. have limited access to healthy foods, with few supermarkets and many small convenience stores, which tend to stock limited quantities and varieties of healthy foods. To address food access, in 2015 the Minneapolis Staple Foods Ordinance became the first policy requiring food stores to stock minimum quantities and varieties of 10 categories of healthy foods/beverages, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains and other staples, through licensing. This study examined whether: (a) stores complied, (b) overall healthfulness of store environments improved, (c) healthy customer purchases increased, and (d) healthfulness of home food environments improved among frequent small store shoppers. Methods Data for this natural (or quasi) experiment were collected at four times: pre-policy (2014), implementation only (no enforcement, 2015), enforcement initiation (2016) and continued monitoring (2017). In-person store assessments were conducted to evaluate food availability, price, quality, marketing and placement in randomly sampled food retailers in Minneapolis (n = 84) and compared to those in a nearby control city, St. Paul, Minnesota (n = 71). Stores were excluded that were: supermarkets, authorized through WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children), and specialty stores (e.g., spice shops). Customer intercept interviews were conducted with 3,039 customers exiting stores. Home visits, including administration of home food inventories, were conducted with a sub-sample of frequent shoppers (n = 88). Results Overall, findings indicated significant improvements in healthy food offerings by retailers over time in both Minneapolis and St. Paul, with no significant differences in change between the two cities. Compliance was low; in 2017 only 10% of Minneapolis retailers in the sample were fully compliant, and 51% of participating Minneapolis retailers met at least 8 of the 10 required standards. Few changes were observed in the healthfulness of customer purchases or the healthfulness of home food environments among frequent shoppers, and changes were not different between cities. Conclusions This study is the first evaluation a local staple foods ordinance in the U.S. and reflects the challenges and time required for implementing such policies. Trial registration NCT02774330.

scholarly journals Healthy Food Options at Dollar Discount Stores Are Equivalent in Quality and Lower in Price Compared to Grocery Stores: An Examination in Las Vegas, NV

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. 2773 ◽  
Author(s):  
Courtney Coughenour ◽  
Timothy Bungum ◽  
M. Regalado
Keyword(s):  
Food System ◽  
Las Vegas ◽  
Summary Score ◽  
Healthy Food ◽  
Grocery Stores ◽  
Healthy Foods ◽  
Outreach Programs ◽  
Price Comparisons ◽  
Discount Stores ◽  
Price Differences

Food deserts indicate limited access to and affordability of healthy foods. One potential mediator is the availability of healthy food in non-traditional outlets such as dollar-discount stores, stores selling produce at the fixed $1 price. The purpose of this study was to compare availability, quality, price differences in ‘healthier’ versus ‘regular’ food choices, price per each food item, and summary score in dollar-discount stores to grocery stores in Las Vegas using the NEMS-S; a protocol consisting of three subscores—availability, quality, price of healthier versus regular food, and a summary score. A 25% sample of grocery stores (n = 40) and all dollar-discount stores (n = 14) were evaluated. t-tests showed that dollar-discount stores were less likely to price healthy options lower than their unhealthy alternatives (mean (M) = 1.0 vs. M = 2.5; p < 0.001) and had reduced availability (M = 20.50 vs. M = 23.80; p < 0.001) compared to grocery stores. The quality of produce did not differ (M = 5.93 vs. M = 6.00; p = 0.34). Price comparisons revealed that 84.2% of produce and 89.5% of other food items were significantly less expensive at the dollar-discount stores, with only two items being more expensive. While dollar-discount stores did have lower availability, they provided quality fresh and healthy foods which were usually less expensive. Findings indicate that dollar discount stores may be an existing community asset, and considering them as such may aid in efforts to strengthen the overall food system. Practitioners should consider dollar discount stores when assessing the community food environment and designing and implementing outreach programs, as they may bridge some disparities in access.

scholarly journals Variation in the food environment of small and non-traditional stores across racial segregation and corporate status

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (09) ◽  
pp. 1624-1634 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan R Winkler ◽  
Kathleen M Lenk ◽  
Caitlin E Caspi ◽  
Darin J Erickson ◽  
Lisa Harnack ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Predominantly White ◽  
Food Environment ◽  
Racial Segregation ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Traditional Food ◽  
Structural Level ◽  
Healthy Foods ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Food Stores ◽  
Food Retailers

AbstractObjectiveWe examined differences in consumer-level characteristics and structural resources and capabilities of small and non-traditional food retailers (i.e. corner stores, gas-marts, pharmacies, dollar stores) by racial segregation of store neighbourhood and corporate status (corporate/franchise-v. independently owned).DesignObservational store assessments and manager surveys were used to examine availability-, affordability- and marketing-related characteristics experienced by consumers as well as store resources (e.g. access to distributors) and perceived capabilities for healthful changes (e.g. reduce pricing on healthy foods). Cross-sectional regression analyses of store and manager data based on neighbourhood segregation and store corporate status were conducted.SettingSmall and non-traditional food stores in Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN, USA.ParticipantsOne hundred and thirty-nine stores; seventy-eight managers.ResultsSeveral consumer- and structural-level differences occurred by corporate status, independent of residential segregation. Compared with independently owned stores, corporate/franchise-owned stores were more likely to: not offer fresh produce; when offered, receive produce via direct delivery and charge higher prices; promote unhealthier consumer purchases; and have managers that perceived greater difficulty in making healthful changes (P≤0·05). Only two significant differences were identified by residential racial segregation. Stores in predominantly people of colour communities (&lt;30 % non-Hispanic White) had less availability of fresh fruit and less promotion of unhealthy impulse buys relative to stores in predominantly White communities (P≤0·05).ConclusionsCorporate status appears to be a relevant determinant of the consumer-level food environment of small and non-traditional stores. Policies and interventions aimed at making these settings healthier may need to consider multiple social determinants to enable successful implementation.

scholarly journals Food retailer practices, attitudes and beliefs about the supply of healthy foods

2011 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 1024-1031 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tatiana Andreyeva ◽  
Ann E Middleton ◽  
Michael W Long ◽  
Joerg Luedicke ◽  
Marlene B Schwartz
Keyword(s):  
Grocery Stores ◽  
Attitudes And Beliefs ◽  
Healthy Foods ◽  
Policy Changes ◽  
Supply Networks ◽  
Food Retailers ◽  
The Us ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Supplemental Nutrition Program ◽  
Supplier Networks

AbstractObjectiveNon-supermarket food retailers can be a promising channel for increasing the availability of healthy foods in underserved communities. The present paper reports on retailer practices, attitudes and beliefs about the supply of healthy foods before and after the introduction of new subsidies for healthy foods by the US Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in October 2009.DesignWe designed and conducted in-person standardized interviews with store owners and managers to assess perceptions of demand and profits for different foods, supply networks, barriers to stocking healthy foods and their changes following implementation of the new WIC packages.SettingNon-supermarket retailers in five towns of Connecticut, USA (n 68 in 2009 and n 58 in 2010).SubjectsOwners and managers of WIC-authorized and non-WIC convenience stores and non-chain grocery stores.ResultsRetailers identified customer demand as the primary factor in stocking decisions. They reported observing a significantly weaker demand for healthy foods compared with unhealthy foods, although it improved for certain foods with the new WIC subsidies. Less healthy foods were also perceived as more profitable. Supplier networks varied by product from convenient manufacturer delivery for salty snacks to self-supply for produce. WIC retailers were able to quickly adapt and supply healthy foods required under the new WIC programme guidelines.ConclusionsRetailers other than supermarkets currently perceive little demand for healthy foods, but new WIC subsidies have the power to change these perceptions. Supply barriers seem secondary in the limited offerings of healthy foods by stores and could be overcome when policy changes generate new demand for healthy foods.

scholarly journals Food Supply and Urban Gardening in the Time of Covid-19

2020 ◽  
Vol 77 (2) ◽  
pp. 141
Author(s):  
Silvana NICOLA ◽  
Antonio FERRANTE ◽  
Giacomo COCETTA ◽  
Roberta BULGARI ◽  
Carlo NICOLETTO ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Supply ◽  
Small Towns ◽  
Modern Technology ◽  
Grocery Stores ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
New Era ◽  
The People ◽  
Fresh Food ◽  
Home Gardening ◽  
Fresh Vegetables

The pandemic caused by Covid-19 has highlighted the vulnerability of the agrifood system. The urgent need to supply fresh food has arisen everywhere. Lockdown slowed down the fresh vegetables supply in the long distance distribution chains. In addition, the total confinement occurred in many countries left the people not only distressed, but also in the need to divert daily spare time to a new home gardening vitalization. During the pandemic, sales in local and street markets declined dramatically, while most purchases became concentrated in supermarkets. This fact has increased the risk of crowdedness and thus contamination or regulated entrances in the supermarkets, or left communities in small towns with limited access to food supply due to the lack of big grocery stores. Gardening can increase opportunities for local and fresh food availability. Scaling-up local food production becomes important to increase resilience of communities. The pandemic may represent an important opportunity to enhance a new era of gardening with modern technology along with traditional systems.

Availability and affordability of healthy and less healthy food in Nova Scotia: where you shop may affect the availability and price of healthy food

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manfred Egbe ◽  
Amy Grant ◽  
Madeleine Waddington ◽  
Mikiko Terashima ◽  
Rita MacAulay ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nova Scotia ◽  
Food Environment ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Healthy Food ◽  
Grocery Stores ◽  
Healthy Foods ◽  
Policy Action ◽  
Type Representation ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Convenience Stores

Abstract Objective: The present study aimed to examine the availability and price of healthier compared with less healthy foods by geography, store category and store type for convenience stores, and by store size for grocery stores in Nova Scotia. Design: A cross-sectional study that examined differences in the overall availability and price of healthier compared to less healthy foods in grocery and convenience stores in Nova Scotia. The Nova Scotia Consumer Food Environment project was part of a larger initiative of the Nova Scotia government (Department of Health and Wellness) to assess the food and beverage environment in Nova Scotia in 2015/16. Setting: Four geographic zones (Nova Scotia Health Authority Management Zones) in Nova Scotia, Canada. Participants: A sample of forty-seven grocery stores and fifty-nine convenience stores were selected from a list of 210 grocery stores and 758 convenience stores in Nova Scotia to ensure geographic and store type representation in our sample. Results: Findings indicate that rurality had a significant effect on food availability as measured by the Nutrition Environment Measures Surveys (NEMS) score (P < 0·01); there was a higher availability of healthy foods in rural compared to urban areas for convenience stores but not grocery stores. Healthier foods were also more available in chain stores compared to independent stores (P < 0·01) and in large stores compared to small and medium stores (P < 0·001 and P < 0·01, respectively). Conclusions: The availability of and accessibility to less healthy foods in Nova Scotia food environment suggests that there is a need for government policy action to support a food environment that contributes to healthier diets.

scholarly journals Consumption of healthy foods and associated socio-demographic factors among Russian, Somali and Kurdish immigrants in Finland

2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 277-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Folasade A. Adebayo ◽  
Suvi T. Itkonen ◽  
Päivikki Koponen ◽  
Ritva Prättälä ◽  
Tommi Härkänen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Consumption ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Demographic Factors ◽  
Migrant Health ◽  
Healthy Food ◽  
High Educational Level ◽  
Healthy Foods ◽  
Somali Immigrants ◽  
Fresh Vegetables ◽  
Socio Demographic Factors

Aims: We evaluated the consumption of healthy foods among Russian, Somali and Kurdish immigrants in Finland, and examined the relationship between socio-demographic factors and food consumption. Methods: We used data from the Migrant Health and Wellbeing Study (Maamu), a population-based health interview and examination survey in six different municipalities in Finland between 2010 and 2012. Altogether, 635 men and 737 women, aged 18–64 years, of Russian ( n = 527), Somali ( n = 337) and Kurdish ( n = 508) origin were included. The important socio-demographic determinants of healthy food consumption – sex, age, education, place of residence and household size – were assessed by logistic regression. Results: Based on the consumption frequencies of recommended healthy foods – fruits, berries, vegetables, fish and rye bread – immigrants of Russian origin had higher consumption of healthy foods than their peers of Kurdish and Somali origin. Low consumption of fresh vegetables, fruits and berries was found among Somali immigrants. Sex and age were the most important determinants of healthy food consumption, as women and older age groups had diets closer to the national nutrition recommendations. High educational level was also positively associated with healthy food consumption. Conclusions: We found ethnic differences in the consumption of healthy foods among the immigrant groups of Russian, Somali and Kurdish origin in Finland. Socio-demographic factors, especially age, sex and education, seem to also play an important role in immigrants’ food consumption. Further studies examining the consumption of fruits, berries and fresh vegetables among Somali immigrants in Finland are needed.

Macho Nachos

2015 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 182-196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luke (Lei) Zhu ◽  
Victoria L. Brescoll ◽  
George E. Newman ◽  
Eric Luis Uhlmann
Keyword(s):  
Gender Stereotypes ◽  
Food Packaging ◽  
Food Preferences ◽  
Healthy Food ◽  
Psychological Reactance ◽  
Unhealthy Food ◽  
Healthy Foods ◽  
Gender Schema ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Schema Congruity

Abstract. The present studies examine how culturally held stereotypes about gender (that women eat more healthfully than men) implicitly influence food preferences. In Study 1, priming masculinity led both male and female participants to prefer unhealthy foods, while priming femininity led both male and female participants to prefer healthy foods. Study 2 extended these effects to gendered food packaging. When the packaging and healthiness of the food were gender schema congruent (i.e., feminine packaging for a healthy food, masculine packaging for an unhealthy food) both male and female participants rated the product as more attractive, said that they would be more likely to purchase it, and even rated it as tasting better compared to when the product was stereotype incongruent. In Study 3, packaging that explicitly appealed to gender stereotypes (“The muffin for real men”) reversed the schema congruity effect, but only among participants who scored high in psychological reactance.

Building Evidence to Prevent Childhood Obesity: Lessons from the Portland Healthy Eating Active Living (Heal) Coalition

2009 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 21-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret Everett ◽  
Angie Mejia ◽  
Olivia Quiroz
Keyword(s):  
Health Promotion ◽  
Childhood Obesity ◽  
Healthy Eating ◽  
Ecological Model ◽  
Health Promotion Program ◽  
Grocery Stores ◽  
Active Living ◽  
Healthy Foods ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
The Impact

The Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL) Coalition is a community-based health promotion program begun in 2006 in North Portland's Portsmouth neighborhood. The program seeks to promote community health and prevent childhood obesity by addressing barriers at local, regional and policy levels, with particular attention to the built environment. This article describes the findings of a program evaluation based on interviews with school staff and Latino parents. Important themes include the impact of the closure of a neighborhood school, access to grocery stores with affordable healthy foods, and concern about school meals. The comprehensive approach of programs like HEAL, which uses the socio-ecological model of health promotion, lends itself well to the participation of applied social scientists.

scholarly journals When Amazon ate Whole Foods: big changes for Big Food

2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 615-622 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate Phillips-Connolly ◽  
Aidan J. Connolly
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Food Supply ◽  
Food Preferences ◽  
Grocery Store ◽  
Grocery Stores ◽  
Processed Food ◽  
Food Supply Chain ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Food Value

The grocery store is ground zero in the tsunami of change facing Big Food. Consumers are changing how they relate to grocery stores, increasingly circling the perimeter, focusing on produce and preferentially choosing fresh, local, and new, even unknown, brands while spending less time in the processed food aisles in the center. The next generation, the millenials, are increasingly shunning traditional outlets when buying food. Traditional leading brands of processed food, backed by traditional marketing strategies (heavy advertising on traditional media, coupons, brand extensions, etc.) are failing to hold on to their customers. The challenges can be found throughout the food value chain, from new competitors for grocery providers to new delivery mechanisms, from changes in generational food preferences with social media platforms to express their preferences to farmers who increasingly can and want to communicate directly with the end-users who actually eat the food that they produce. This access to more information opens more options (and opportunities) to buyers and suppliers all along the food value chain. Barely 100 years old, the grocery store model is becoming obsolete, and with it the organization of the food value chain must be re-written. So what does that mean for Big Food and the food supply chain? What directions can the industry take to adjust to the new competitive realities? This paper offers direction and guidance for Big Food and other producers in the food supply chain.

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