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Table of Contents:
1 Introduction:
1.1 Project Background ……………………………………………………...3
1.2 Why Corner Stores?............................................................................3
1.3 Project Goals & Objectives………………………………………..…….4
1.4 Successful Programs………………………………………………….…..5
1.5 Methodology…………………………………………………………….....7
2 Assessments:
2.1 Neighborhood Demographics……………………………………….....8
2.2 Store Inventory & Stock Survey………………………………………....8
3 Customer & Community Interaction
3.1 Customer Surveys………………………………………………………....9
3.2 Community Outreach……………………………………………..…….10
4 Store Owners
4.1 Approaching Owners………………………………………………..….11
4.2 Creating Strategic Partnerships…………………………………….....12
5 Business Incentives……….…………………………………………………………….13
6 Monitoring & Program Evaluation……………………………………………….…..14
7 References…………………………………………………………………………….…15
8 Appendices
8.1 Retail Food Assessment Form……………………………………..…...16
8.2 Store Agreement Form…………………………………………….……18
8.3 Community Surveys……………………………………………….....….20
8.4 Promotional Materials………………………………………………..….22
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Introduction
Project Background:
Through the Suffolk County Food Policy Council, Sustainable Long Island (SLI) has
created a partnership with Island Harvest, a leading hunger-relief organization on Long
Island, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County, and the Suffolk County Office of
Minority Health to improve access to healthy food in underserved communities through
cooperating with corner store owners. After a successful pilot program was launched
by Cornell Cooperative in Riverhead, SLI and their partners were inspired to expand the
program to include several other underserved Low-to-Moderate-Income (LMI)
communities over a two-year period. These communities include Mastic, Wyandanch,
Gordon Heights, Brentwood, and Central Islip.
Why Corner Stores?
Low-income communities often have limited access to fresh produce and grocery
stores. Due to a lack of access to grocery stores and limited mobility, low-income
residents are more likely to shop in corner stores for their food or eat at fast-food
establishments.
An individual’s residence affects the type of “food environment” that they live in,
and not all of these environments are created equally. Low-income residents often do
not have access to high-quality fresh produce, and if they do, they are largely
unaffordable. Disparities in food access affect a community’s rates of obesity, diabetes,
and other health-related illnesses. Due to the difficulty in attracting large-scale grocery
stores to these communities, the popularity of corner stores creates an opportunity to
improve the health of underserved communities. Targeting corner stores enables us to
take advantage of existing infrastructure in order to increase the availability of healthy
foods in these communities, which are often known as “food deserts” (Azrilian, et al.,
2012).
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PROJECT GOALS & OBJECTIVES
The Healthy Corner Stores Program seeks to improve community health in a number of
ways:
1. Health and access - helping people make healthier choices, making healthy
options more readily available
2. Education - possible partnership with schools for ongoing nutrition education
3. Energy/environment - energy savings, transit accessibility, lower carbon
footprint
4. Economics - reduce operating costs, increase sales, grow profits
5. Encourage use of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Women, Infants,
and Children (WIC), and WIC Vegetable and Fruit Program
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Successful Healthy Corner Store Programs:
Philadelphia’s
Healthy Corner Store Initiative
Developed by The Food Trust, a
nationally recognized nonprofit and
promoted through the Philadelphia
Department of Health’s initiative “Get
Healthy Philly” in 2010, the Healthy Corner
Store Initiative represents a widely
successful program with a network of over
600 stores. Each store adds a minimum of
four new products, such as fruits,
vegetables, low-fat dairy, lean meats, and whole grains, resulting in many underserved
communities gaining access to healthier food options. Through this initiative, store
owners saw a 60% rise in their sale of produce items with healthy products totaling 35%
of their overall sales (Sandoval, B.A., Karpyn, A., & Aquilante, J., 2012, & The Food Trust,
2014).
New York City’s
Healthy Bodega Initiative
The Healthy Bodega Initiative was
coordinated by the New York City Department
of Health and Mental Hygiene and funded by
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the New York City Center for Economic Opportunity. Beginning in 2006, this initiative
worked with more than 1,000 corner stores and bodegas located throughout
neighborhoods with the highest rates of poverty. The initiative offered store owners
simple, low-cost, and effective mechanisms to sell healthy food products in addition to
promotional incentives. By working with community organizations and local residents to
support purchases of healthy products, nearly 80% of store owners claimed that the
initiative helped them improve their sales of healthy foods. Simple changes, such as
adding healthier varieties of products that stores were already selling as well as
changing the physical layout of the store to make healthy foods more prominent, were
among the most successful mechanisms in promoting sales (Dannefer, et al., 2012).
Minneapolis’ Healthy
Corner Store Program
In 2012, the Minneapolis
Department of Health and Family
Support introduced the Healthy
Corner Store Program in an effort
to improve the health of city
residents. As over 75% of stores
did not meet produce
requirements, this program
supported corner store owners in making healthy foods and fresh produce more
affordable, visible, and attractive for their customers. This program also aimed to
increase knowledge and sales of healthy products. Many store owners began to offer a
variety of healthy food products and reported increasing sales of fresh produce with
each passing week. Many items began selling out before spoiling, which highlights the
overall success of the program. Stores that accepted Women, Infants, and Children
(WIC) and Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) were amongst the most successful
(Minneapolis Department of Health and Family Support, 2012).
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Methodology
Pre-Project Assessment: identify neighborhood demographics
Develop and conduct questionnaires for local residents to determine
preferences
Develop and conduct questionnaires for store owners to understand
their attitudes towards and practices regarding stocking & selling healthy
foods
Conduct physical needs assessment of store (layout, set-up, items stocked)
Assessment of stock/inventory
Identify appropriate strategies and develop action plan for each store (see
below)
Coordinate and implement identified strategies including but not limited to
enrollment as SNAP vendor, physical store changes, creating new signage,
arranging cooking demonstrations, creating recipes/nutritional handouts, etc.
End-of-Project Evaluation: conduct customer and neighborhood stakeholder
survey to gauge changes in perception and behavior
Discuss findings with store owner to gauge impressions and gather
input/feedback; evaluate success of project.
Report on and share findings: identify lessons learned; share with appropriate
local and municipal stakeholders
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Assessments
Neighborhood Demographics:
Neighborhoods should be assessed to determine income and racial composition
along with determining how many grocery stores are available. Corner stores and
bodegas should be targeted in low-income and minority communities, as this approach
looks to improve the food environment of disadvantaged populations. Health-related
diseases disproportionately affect poor
African Americans and Latinos at much
greater rates than wealthy whites
(Dannefer, et al., 2012). Census data can
be obtained from the United States
Census Bureau, City-Data, and Long
Island Index.
Store Inventory/Stock Surveys:
Once a corner store has been
targeted, surveys to assess the current
stock and inventory should be conducted.
It is helpful to keep track of what items
are being sold and where they are being
displayed. Where are the fruits and
vegetables located? Is fresh produce
displayed at the front of the store or is it
pushed aside? Do advertisements promote healthy products or junk food? It is also
beneficial to make note of whether or not the store sells certain non-food products such
as alcohol and tobacco products.
Assessments should also consider the store’s physical configuration. How many
aisles are there and how wide are they? Does the store have refrigerators? Is off-street
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parking available? Note whether or not the store accepts EBT, participates in SNAP/WIC,
or has an ATM machine. Please refer to Appendix 8.1 for a sample Food Retail
Assessment.
Customer & Community Interaction
Customer Surveys:
Customer surveys are essential for the creation of healthy communities as they
are needed to gauge activity and support. Surveys should ask questions to see how
often customers shop at their local corner stores, what types of items they purchase, if
they would be willing to purchase healthy foods if their store offered it, and what types
of healthy products they would like their store to offer.
Administering surveys to middle school and high school-aged teenagers is also
helpful in order to evaluate their access to healthy foods. These surveys should be much
more specific to find out exactly where teenagers are purchasing food from, how far
away food retailers are from their residencies, what types of snacks they purchase, and
what healthy products they would like to purchase.
After distributing initial surveys, customers should also receive follow-up surveys
to see if their eating habits have changed and to gauge the overall success of the
program. Questions should ask if they have incorporated more healthy foods into their
diets and prepared more healthy meals after increasing the availability of healthy
products at their local corner store. Please see Appendix 8.3 for samples of community
surveys.
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Community Outreach:
After conducting the survey, it is extremely important to engage local community
residents throughout the creation of healthy corner stores. When providing community
outreach, residents should be informed of the project and its goals. They should want to
“buy in” to the project and support it.
Promotional flyers can be used to advertise the project, which can be found in
Appendix 8.4. Organizing kick-off events are especially helpful to make customers aware
of healthy corner store projects. These kick-off events should increase the community’s
knowledge of healthy foods and increase their demand for healthy products. Cooking
demonstrations that use ingredients sold at corner stores also encourage customers to
purchase healthy food.
Sustainable Long Island, along with the other community partners, successfully
launched a kick-off event at the Neighborhood Country Market in Mastic Beach in order
to attract customers in August 2014. Flyers were placed throughout the community to
advertise the event. To increase the community’s access to healthy foods, free lunches
were provided for children as well as free healthy food tasting.
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In addition, the Neighborhood Country Market celebrated Food Day on October
23, 2015 by hosting a healthy food tasting and cooking event. Residents were shown
how to prepare healthy meals using the products that were available in-store.
Store Owners
Approaching Owners
Approaching store owners represents a critical yet difficult task in creating
partnerships and obtaining a point of contact. When introducing yourself, it is important
to make the store owner is aware of who you are, what organization you work for, and
what your overall mission is. When approached, some owners may become concerned
that authorities or
government officials are
trying to regulate their
store. It is best not to seem
too bureaucratic or
authoritative when
approaching small
businesses. Successful
approaches consist of
those that are friendly and
“bottom-up.”
Store owners should
be involved in the project
from the very beginning.
When first approaching
owners, it is helpful to
interview them. Find out
how many customers per
day they get, what their customers like to purchase, and where they source their fresh
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produce from if they sell it. It may also be helpful to be bilingual, as language barriers
may pose a serious challenge when trying to communicate with store owners (The Food
Trust, 2012; The Food Trust, 2014; & Minneapolis Department of Health and Family
Support, 2012).
Creating Strategic Partnerships
Store owners may need a lot of help and support in order to introduce healthy
products into their businesses. It is best to phase out project activities and create an
easy-to-follow action plan based on the individual store owner’s level of commitment.
Offering one-on-one training to
committed store owners is useful.
They are able to learn about and
practice new techniques for creating
displays, promoting their products,
and selling healthy items. It is
important to visit store owners and
their businesses frequently in order
to build trustworthy relationships.
Visiting often encourages owners to
be responsible and accountable
when selling their healthy food
products. It may also encourage
them to experiment with new ideas
and create new displays. Along with
visiting their stores, offering sale
evaluations is also a good way to
build trust with the owners—they
want to know that selling healthy
foods is profitable for their business.
Overall, understanding the needs
and concerns of store owners is
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essential in creating strategic partnerships (The Food Trust, 2012; The Food Trust, 2014;
& Minneapolis Department of Health and Family Support, 2012).
Business Incentives
Providing business incentives for store owners is essential in creating successful
partnerships and healthy corner stores. Making small investments in equipment can
greatly increase a store’s capacity and ability to sell healthy products (Sandoval, B.A.,
Karpyn, A., & Aquilante, J., 2012). For instance,
Sustainable Long Island provided the
Neighborhood Country Market in Mastic Beach
with deli cases and baskets. Not only did this
enable the store owner to create attractive
displays for fresh fruits and vegetables, but it also
enabled him to sell healthy refrigerated meals.
Giving small stipends to store owners is also
helpful with the initial purchases of healthy
products and placing grab-and-go items near the
cash register increases sales.
Aside from investing in equipment, store owners greatly benefit from publicity
and support. This can be done through the use of promotional flyers and by offering
coupons to local community residents. Hosting kick-off events is another great way to
advertise businesses and their
new healthy products. The event
that took place at Neighborhood
Country Market attracted new
customers as well as county
politicians and legislators.
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Afterwards, its success was published in a local newspaper.
Monitoring & Program Evaluation
After creating partnerships with corner stores and bodegas, it is critical to
evaluate and monitor their progress. Sustainable Long Island encourages store owners
to keep track of their sales. Sales are a good measure in determining whether or not the
program was successful. For instance, Neighborhood Country Market’s daily sales
increased, on average, by 91% since the project’s implementation. Discussing the
importance of sales tacking with owners is a key component in program monitoring and
evaluation.
After some time has passed, the store’s layout and inventory should be re-
evaluated as well. It is important to determine whether or not the store owner has kept
healthy products on display and if they have made use of promotional materials. If not,
interviews should be conducted with the owner to gain their insight. Owners are best
able to provide information about their customer’s habits and reactions towards the
new healthy products. Make note of what worked for their business and what did not so
that the program can be modified to best suit their needs.
Overall, creating partnerships with corner stores is a useful method of providing
access to healthy foods in low-income communities. Sometimes, building a grocery
store is simply not enough. Through continuously engaging store owners and local
residents throughout the entirety of the project, we are able to create healthier
communities for everyone.
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References
Azrilian, J., Kwan, A., Linthicum, M., & Wolfson, J. (May 2012).
Creating Healthy Corner Stores: An Analysis of Factors
Necessary for Effective Corner Store Conversion Programs. L.A.
Food Policy Council.
Change Lab Solutions. (2012). Putting Business to Work for Health:
Incentive Policies for the Private Sector.
Dannefer, R., Donya, W.A., Baronberg, S., & Silver, L. (October 2012).
Healthy Bodegas: Increasing and Promoting Healthy Foods at
Corner Stores in New York City. American Journal of Public
Health.
The Food Trust. (2014). Healthier Corner Store: Positive Impacts and
Profitable Changes.
Minneapolis Department of Health and Family Support. (February
2012). Minneapolis Healthy Corner Store Program: Making
Produce More Visible, Affordable, and Attractive.
Sandoval, B.A., Karpyn, A., & Aquilante, J. (2012). Philadelphia’s
Healthy Corner Store Initiative 2010-2012. The Food Trust.
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Appendix 8.1
Food Retail Assessment
Date: Store Name:
Address: Store Owner:
Store Layout
Store Type: Supermarket Grocery Store Convenience Store Corner Store/Bodega
Other:____________________________________
Hours of Operation:
Open 24/7 or Mon.: Tues.: Wed.: Thurs.: Fri.: Sat.: Sun.:
Square Footage: # of Cash Registers:
Parking: Off-Street Street None Handicap spots? Yes No
Ramp/Curb Cut: Yes No Automatic Door: Yes No
# of Aisles: Aisle Width:
Alcohol/Tobacco Ad: Yes No Healthy Food Ad: Yes No
Refrigerators/Freezers: Yes No # of Refrigerators/Freezers:
Services
Does the store have an ATM machine? Yes No
Does the store accept EBT? Yes No
Does the store accept WIC? Yes No
Does the store have a kitchen or deli space? Yes No
Does the store sell heated/pre-made food? Yes No
Unhealthy Products
Item Availability Price
Candy (Chocolate/Gummy)
Chips
Sodas
Sugary Drinks
Alcohol
Cigarettes
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Fresh Fruits & Vegetables Yes No
Items (specify) Price Quality
Healthy Snack Products
Item Availability Price
Baked Chips
Granola/Protein Bars
Low/No-Salt Popcorn
Low/No-Salt Pretzels
Low/No-Salt Nuts
Low/No-Salt Crackers
Yogurt
Healthy Beverages
Item Availability Price
Low-Fat Milk (1% or no fat)
Water
100% Juice
Unsweetened Iced Tea
Miscellaneous Healthy Items
Item Availability Price
Whole Wheat/Grain Bread
Whole Wheat/Grain Pasta
Brown Rice
Beans (dried or canned)
Frozen Fruits/Vegetables
Canned Fruits/Vegetables
Low-Fat Cheese
Eggs
Additional Comments:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
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Signature:____________________________________
Appendix 8.2
Store Agreement Form
Healthy Corner Store Agreement
STORE:
CONTACT: Phone:
EMAIL:
As a small food store owner and/or operator committed to the well-being of the residents of the
neighborhood in which my store is located, I agree to take the following steps as a series of
short-, medium-, and long-term plans (please check all that apply):
Display healthy foods prominently in the store
Label and promote healthy items
Display prices for fresh fruits and vegetables
Keep prices of healthy foods affordable
Participate in Federal Nutrition programs such as Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program (SNAP, or food stamps) and WIC
Stock a wide variety of high quality fresh fruits and vegetables
Stock whole grain products
Stock low-fat and skim dairy products
Remove items past the sell-by date from shelves
Maintain high standards of cleanliness and safety inside and outside the store
Listen to and try to accommodate customers’ requests for healthy foods
Treat customers with courtesy and respect
Limit the advertising of unhealthy foods, drinks and substances
Adhere to all laws regarding sales of tobacco and alcohol to minors
I, , pledge to uphold the standards listed
above and will continue to collaborate with the Suffolk County Food Policy Council and
community members to make the neighborhood a healthier place to live.
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PARTICIPATION COMPONENTS
As a condition of participation in the Suffolk County Healthy Corner Stores Initiative, the Project
Partners agree to the following as appropriate for actions selected by the store owner/manager:
Work with the store owner/manager to develop a work-plan outlining short-term, medium-,
and long-term actions steps to be implemented
Provide guidance on purchasing and storing new healthy products
Assist with store layout to showcase healthy products
Cover agreed-upon costs of new advertising materials to promote healthy options, which may
include but are not limited to:
o Posters
o Shelf labels
Develop and provide copies of informational handouts for customers, such as recipes and tips
for healthy eating on a budget
Organize events and activities to promote and publicize the store and share information
about healthy options with the neighborhood, such as handing out recipes or staging product
tastings
Announce and promote store participation in the Healthy Corner Store Initiative pilot
program through a press release and press conference
Research and provide guidance (and in some cases financial assistance) on state-of-the-art
equipment and fixtures
Provide assistance in obtaining low-cost fresh fruits and vegetables
Provide information about small business funding + assistance applying for grants or loans
Facilitate access to small business services
Assist with applying to be a food stamp vendor and/or WIC vendor (for interested stores)
Explore partnerships with other stores engaged in such an initiative as well as other agencies
or entities interested in promoting community health
o Refrigerator decals
o Window signs
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o Yes o No
o Whole grain products
o Yogurt
o Milk
o 100% fruit juice
o Other:_____________
Date:_________________ Location:__________________
Creating Healthy Schools and Communities: High School Survey
1. Which store(s) do you visit the most to purchase food, snacks, and beverages? Please indicate
each store’s name and location in the space provided below.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
2. How would you describe this store?
o Corner store/bodega
o Grocery Store
3. How far away are the foot retailers mentioned above?
o 0 – ¼ mile (5 min walk)
o ¼ - ½ mile (5-10 min walk)
4. How do you travel to get to the food retailers mentioned above?
o Walk
o Bicycle
o Bus
5. What types of food and beverage items do you typically purchase? Select all that apply:
o Chips/pretzels
o Ice cream
o Candy/chocolate
o Sandwich/bagel
o Fruits
6. Would you purchase healthy food items, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, if the above retailers
provided them?
a. If no, please explain why:
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________
b. If yes, what types of healthy products would you be most likely to purchase?
o Baked chips
o Convenience Store
o Other:____________
o ½ - 1 mile (10-20 min walk)
o Over 1 mile (20+ min walk)
o Automobile
o Other:_____________
___________
o Vegetables
o Soda
o Juice
o Water
o Sports/energy drinks
o Milk
o Coffee/hot tea
o Iced tea
o Other:__________
Appendix 8.3
Community Surveys
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o Fresh vegetables
o Vegetables
o Fruits
o None of the above
o N/A – I don’t shop there
o Other:_______________
o No
o Very unlikely o Somewhat unlikely
o Fresh fruits
Date:_________________ Location:__________________
Creating Healthy Schools and Communities: Community Survey
1. How often do you shop at the corner stores/bodegas in your community?
o Never
o A few times per year
o Once per month
2. How far away are the food retailers referenced above from your residence?
o 0 – ¼ mile (5 min walk)
o ¼ - ½ mile (5-10 min walk)
3. What types of food and beverage items do you typically purchase? Select all that apply:
o Snacks (chips/candy)
o Sandwich/bagel
o Soda
o Tobacco/alcohol
o Coffee/hot tea
4. Does your corner store carry healthy food and beverage products? (ex. fresh fruits and vegetables,
whole grain products, low-fat dairy, 100$ juice)
If yes:
5. Which healthy food and beverage products do you frequently purchase?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________
6. Are there any healthy food items that you would like your corner store/bodega to carry that are
not currently available?
o Yes:_________________________________________
o No
If no:
7. If your corner store began selling fresh fruits and vegetables, how likely would you be to purchase
them from there?
o Very likely
o Once every 2 weeks
o 1-2 times per week
o Everyday___________
o ½ - 1 mile (10-20 min walk)
o Over 1 mile (20+ min walk)
o Water
o Whole milk/dairy
o Low-fat milk/dairy
o Juice
o Whole grain products
o Yes
o Somewhat likely
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8. How much would you be willing to spend on the following items?
Fruit (ex. apple, banana)_____________ Half gallon low-fat milk_______
Vegetable (ex. carrots, lettuce)__________ Low-fat yogurt__________
Whole grain bread__________ 100% juice__________
Appendix 8.4
Promotional Materials
