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Feasibility of Increasing Access to Healthy Foods in Neighborhood Corner Stores

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Abstract

The feasibility of working with neighborhood corner stores to increase the availability of fresh fruit and vegetables in low-income neighborhoods in New Orleans was assessed. Household interviews and 24-hour dietary recalls (n = 97), corner store customer intercept interviews (n = 60) and interviews with corner store operators (owners/managers) (n = 12) were conducted in three neighborhoods without supermarkets. Regional produce wholesalers were contacted by phone. Results indicated that the majority of neighborhood residents use supermarkets or super stores as their primary food source. Those who did shop at corner stores typically purchased prepared foods and/or beverages making up nearly one third of their daily energy intake. Most individuals would be likely to purchase fresh fruit and vegetables from the corner stores if these foods were offered. Store operators identified cost, infrastructure and lack of customer demand as major barriers to stocking more fresh produce. Produce wholesalers did not see much business opportunity in supplying fresh produce to neighborhood corner stores on a small scale. Increasing availability of fresh fruit and vegetables in corner stores may be more feasible with the addition of systems changes that provide incentives and make it easier for neighborhood corner stores to stock and sell fresh produce.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by funding from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, through the Prevention Research Centers Program under cooperative agreement #U48DP001948.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Global Community Health and Behavioral Sciences, Tulane Prevention Research Center, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, 1440 Canal Street, Suite 2301, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA

    Keelia O’Malley & Carolyn C. Johnson

  2. Department of Epidemiology, Tulane Prevention Research Center, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA

    Jeanette Gustat

  3. Department of Biostatistics and Informatics, Tulane Prevention Research Center, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA

    Janet Rice

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  1. Keelia O’Malley
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  2. Jeanette Gustat
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Correspondence to Keelia O’Malley.

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O’Malley, K., Gustat, J., Rice, J. et al. Feasibility of Increasing Access to Healthy Foods in Neighborhood Corner Stores. J Community Health 38, 741–749 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-013-9673-1

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