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 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 (<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 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 Small food store retailers’ views on healthy food retail policy in response to a local staple foods ordinance

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cydney M McGuire ◽  
Megan R Winkler ◽  
Kathleen M Lenk ◽  
Lisa Harnack ◽  
Darin J Erickson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Government Regulation ◽  
Healthy Food ◽  
Retail Stores ◽  
Healthy Foods ◽  
Food Retail ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Food Stores ◽  
Control Community ◽  
Mixed Regression ◽  
Staple Foods

Abstract Objective: Our objectives were to explore attitudes regarding food retail policy and government regulation among managers of small food stores and examine whether manager views changed due to the 2014 Minneapolis Staple Foods Ordinance, a city policy requiring retailers to stock specific healthy products. Design: Manager interviewer-administered surveys were used to assess views on food retail policy four times from 2014 to 2017. We examined baseline views across manager and store and neighbourhood characteristics using cross-sectional regression analyses and examined changes over time using mixed regression models. In 2017, open-ended survey questions asked about manager insights on the Minneapolis Staple Foods Ordinance. Setting: Minneapolis, MN, where the ordinance was enacted, and St. Paul, MN, a control community, USA. Participants: Managers from 147 small food retail stores. Results: At baseline, 48 % of managers were likely to support a policy requiring stores to stock healthy foods/beverages, 67·5 % of managers were likely to support voluntary programmes to help retailers stock healthy foods and 23·7 % agreed government regulation of business is good/necessary. There was a significant increase in overall support for food retail policies and voluntary programmes from 2014 to 2017 (P < 0·01); however, neither increase differed by city, suggesting no differential impact from the ordinance. Minneapolis store managers reported some challenges with ordinance compliance and offered suggestions for how local government could provide support. Conclusions: Findings suggest that managers of small food retail stores are becoming increasingly amenable to healthy food policies; yet, challenges need to be addressed to ensure healthy food is available to all customers.

scholarly journals Shaping Physical, Economic, and Policy Components of the Food Environment to Create Sustainable Healthy Diets

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (2_suppl) ◽  
pp. 74S-86S
Author(s):  
Adam Drewnowski ◽  
Eva C. Monterrosa ◽  
Saskia de Pee ◽  
Edward A. Frongillo ◽  
Stefanie Vandevijvere
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Food Environment ◽  
Food System ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Food Environments ◽  
Healthy Foods ◽  
Equitable Access ◽  
Nutrition Labels ◽  
Healthy Diets ◽  
Physical Spaces

Background: Sustainable healthy diets are those dietary patterns that promote all dimensions of individuals’ health and well-being; have low environmental pressure and impact; are accessible, affordable, safe, and equitable; and are culturally acceptable. The food environment, defined as the interface between the wider food system and consumer’s food acquisition and consumption, is critical for ensuring equitable access to foods that are healthy, safe, affordable, and appealing. Discussion: Current food environments are creating inequities, and sustainable healthy foods are generally more accessible for those of higher socioeconomic status. The physical, economic, and policy components of the food environment can all be acted on to promote sustainable healthy diets. Physical spaces can be modified to improve relative availability (ie, proximity) of food outlets that carry nutritious foods in low-income communities; to address economic access certain actions may improve affordability, such as fortification, preventing food loss through supply chain improvements; and commodity specific vouchers for fruits, vegetables, and legumes. Other policy actions that address accessibility to sustainable healthy foods are comprehensive marketing restrictions and easy-to-understand front-of-pack nutrition labels. While shaping food environments will require concerted action from all stakeholders, governments and private sector bear significant responsibility for ensuring equitable access to sustainable healthy diets.

Nutrient analysis of varying socioeconomic status home food environments in New Jersey

Appetite ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 384-389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott D. Schefske ◽  
Anne C. Bellows ◽  
Carol Byrd-Bredbenner ◽  
Cara L. Cuite ◽  
Holly Rapport ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
New Jersey ◽  
Food Environments ◽  
Nutrient Analysis ◽  
Home Food

scholarly journals Creating healthy food environments in family childcare settings

2021 ◽  
Vol 31 (Supplement_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
K Kunkel ◽  
M Schroeder ◽  
R Jones ◽  
D Anderson ◽  
K Lien
Keyword(s):  
Child Care ◽  
Nutrition Education ◽  
Family Child Care ◽  
Food Environments ◽  
Child Care Providers ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Healthy Foods ◽  
Federal Food ◽  
Family Child Care Providers

Abstract Background Considering nearly two-thirds of preschool children in the United States are in some form of child care, child care settings are an opportunity to improve the food environments and reduce the risk of obesity in young children. University of Minnesota Extension developed a culinary nutrition education training for family child care providers. This is relevant for other countries whose child care system includes caring for children in home or center settings that prepare food for children. Objectives Start Strong: Cooking, Feeding and More (SS), consists of four two-hour culinary nutrition education sessions for family providers. The overall goals of SS are to 1) increase providers' knowledge and skills to procure and prepare healthy foods for children and 2) increase providers' knowledge and understanding of Federal food assistance programs to share the information with food-insecure families. Each session includes a cooking skill, nutrition topic, and food assistance program. Results Twelve rural participants who self-identified as female, non-Hispanic White participated in the SS sessions and completed pre, post, and three-month follow-up surveys, to assess the impact of the program on providers' knowledge, confidence, and practice. Based on the paired samples t-tests between pre-to-post and pre-to-follow-up surveys, there were statistically significant increases in providers' confidence in preparing whole grains, using beans and low-cost protein sources, and cooking techniques to reduce. The increase in confidence using cooking techniques to reduce salt was still statistically significant three months after the training. The providers' awareness of Federal food programs between pre-post increased and three months later increased. Conclusions SS increased family child care providers' skills and confidence to prepare healthy foods for children in their care. This increases the likelihood children will make healthy choices now and in the future. Key messages Start Strong is a culinary nutrition education training for family child care providers. Start Strong improves providers’ knowledge and skills to prepare healthy foods for children in their care.

scholarly journals Cultural Adaptation and Evaluation of the Perceived Nutrition Environment Measures Survey to the Mediterranean Spanish Context (NEMS-P-MED)

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 3257
Author(s):  
Alba Martínez-García ◽  
Eva María Trescastro-López ◽  
María Eugenia Galiana-Sánchez ◽  
Cristóbal Llorens-Ivorra ◽  
Pamela Pereyra-Zamora
Keyword(s):  
Internal Consistency ◽  
Food Environment ◽  
Internal Consistency Reliability ◽  
Food Environments ◽  
Food Stores ◽  
Nutrition Environment ◽  
Policy Interventions ◽  
Measurement Tools ◽  
Effective Policy ◽  
Standardized Measurement

Individuals’ perceptions of their food environments are a mediator between exposure to the environment and people’s interaction with it. The Nutrition Environment Measures Surveys (NEMS) are valid and reliable measures to assess food environments. In Spain, there is no adapted instrument to measure the perceived obesogenic environment. This article aims to adapt and evaluate the Perceived Nutrition Environment Measures Survey for a Spanish context (NEMS-P-MED). The Spanish version has 32 questions to measure the perception about availability, accessibility and marketing of 3 types of environment: home, shops and restaurants. We assess feasibility, construct validity and internal consistency reliability through a sample of 95 individuals. The internal consistency was acceptable for most items (Cronbach’s alpha coefficients range from 0.6 to 0.9), similar to that of the original scale. The NEMS-P-MED has been shown to be valid and, on certain items reliable, and was useful to assess the population’s perceptions of the food environment in the home, restaurants and food stores in a Spanish context. Adapting standardized measurement tools to specific contexts to assess the perceived and observed characteristics of food environments may facilitate the development of effective policy interventions to reduce excess weight.

scholarly journals The Healthiness of Food and Beverages on Price Promotion at Promotional Displays: A Cross-Sectional Audit of Australian Supermarkets

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (23) ◽  
pp. 9026
Author(s):  
Lily Grigsby-Duffy ◽  
Sally Schultz ◽  
Liliana Orellana ◽  
Ella Robinson ◽  
Adrian J. Cameron ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Environments ◽  
Unhealthy Food ◽  
Price Promotion ◽  
Healthy Foods ◽  
Purchasing Decisions ◽  
Price Promotions ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Food And Beverages ◽  
Economic Position

Supermarket environments can strongly influence purchasing decisions. Price promotions are recognised as a particularly persuasive tactic, but the healthiness of price promotions in prominent in-store locations is understudied. This study compared the prevalence and magnitude of price promotions on healthy and unhealthy food and beverages (foods) displayed at prominent in-store locations within Australian supermarkets, including analyses by supermarket group and area-level socio-economic position. A cross-sectional in-store audit of price promotions on foods at key display areas was undertaken in 104 randomly selected stores from major Australian supermarket groups (Woolworths, Coles, Aldi and independents) in Victoria, Australia. Of the display space dedicated to foods with price promotions, three of the four supermarket groups had a greater proportion of display space devoted to unhealthy (compared to healthy) foods at each promotional location measured (end of aisles: 66%; island bins: 53%; checkouts: 88%). Aldi offered very few price promotions. Few measures varied by area-level socio-economic position. This study demonstrated that price promotions at prominent in-store locations in Australian supermarkets favoured unhealthy foods. Marketing of this nature is likely to encourage the purchase of unhealthy foods, highlighting the need for retailers and policy-makers to consider addressing in-store pricing and placement strategies to encourage healthier food environments.

scholarly journals Adaptation and Evaluation of the Nutrition Environment Measures Survey in Stores to Assess Mediterranean Food Environments (NEMS-S-MED)

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (19) ◽  
pp. 7031 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alba Martínez-García ◽  
Julia Díez ◽  
Carlos Fernández-Escobar ◽  
Eva María Trescastro-López ◽  
Pamela Pereyra-Zamora ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Economic Status ◽  
Kappa Statistics ◽  
Food Environments ◽  
Food Stores ◽  
Census Tracts ◽  
Nutrition Environment ◽  
Policy Interventions ◽  
Measurement Tools ◽  
Urban Contexts ◽  
Access And Affordability

The Nutrition Environment Measures Surveys are valid and reliable measures of community and consumer food environments. This article describes the adaptation and evaluation of the Nutrition Environment Measures Survey in Stores (NEMS-S) for Mediterranean urban contexts (NEMS-S-MED). Trained raters used the adapted NEMS-S-MED tool to observe and rate food outlets in 21 census tracts and 43 food stores across the city of Madrid, Spain. We evaluated inter-rater and intra-rater reliabilities, construct validity, and the tool’s ability to discriminate between store types and between stores by area-level Socio-Economic Status (SES). Overall, the mean NEMS-S-MED score was 20.7 (SD = 9.8), which ranged from 7 to 43. Most food items displayed substantial or almost perfect inter-rater and intra-rater agreements; the percentage agreement across availability items was almost perfect and kappa statistics were also very high (median κ = 1.00 for inter-rater; κ = 0.92 for intra-rater). Furthermore, the NEMS-S-MED tool was able to discriminate between store types and census tracts of different SES. The adapted NEMS-S-MED instrument is a reliable and valid audit tool to assess the consumer food environment in Mediterranean urban contexts. Well-constructed measurement tools, such as the NEMS-S-MED, may facilitate the development of effective policy interventions to increase healthy food access and affordability.

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