1. The Minneapolis Healthy Corner
Store Program
14th Annual CFSC: Food Justice Culture
Aliyah Ali, MPH
October 20, 2010
Creating a Healthier Minneapolis
healthy eating + physical activity + smoke-free living

2. Overview
• Minneapolis overview
• Obesity Prevention in Minneapolis
• Past, Present + Future: The Minneapolis
Healthy Corner Store Program

3. About Minneapolis
•Total Population: 382,618 (2000)
•Diverse community + large immigrant
populations
•High rates of health disparities and
inequities in our communities of color

4. Obesity in Minneapolis
• Obesity rates are higher:
- Among communities of color
- In neighborhoods of concentrated
poverty
• U.S. born blacks and Hispanics/Latinos
have highest obesity rates in Minneapolis
(SHAPE 2006)

5. • Part of the 2008 MN Health Care Reform Act
• Statewide effort to help residents live longer,
better, healthier lives by reducing the burden of
chronic illnesses
• 2 grants to Minneapolis totaling $2.6 million to
reduce obesity and tobacco use
• Shift from traditional public health model
(program vs policy)
Statewide Health Improvement
Program (SHIP)

6. “ It is unreasonable to expect that
people will change their behavior
easily when so many forces in the
environment conspire against such
change"
Institute of Medicine
SHIP: Making the healthy choice
the easy choice…

7. Guiding principles
• Focus on communities of need
• Affect multiple environments:
– Daycares, parks, housing complexes,
neighborhoods, schools, worksites, corner stores
• Change food environments through following
approaches:
– practices, availability, affordability, opportunity

8. Pop Quiz!
• According to the 2007 Behavioral Risk
Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS),
what percent of adults in Minneapolis
consume the recommended # of servings
of fruits and vegetables per day?
• 12.2%
• 30.5%
• 48.0%
• 86.7%

9. Pop Quiz!
• According to the 2007 Behavioral Risk
Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS),
what percent of adults in Minneapolis
consume the recommended # of servings
of fruits and vegetables per day?
• 12.2%
• 30.5%
• 48.0%
• 86.7%

10. So… what’s
the problem?
• Lack of access to
healthy foods: food
deserts
• Over-abundance of fast
foods & convenience
foods
• Transportation barriers
• Lack of access to
physical activity
•Affordability of fresh food

11. Minneapolis:
The lay of the land

13. •Mini Farmers Markets
•Healthy vending in theparks
•Food Preservation Pilot
•Homegrown Minneapolis
•Corner Stores
Minneapolis past and present

14. A city-wide initiative to develop recommendations
and implement strategies to improve the growth,
sales, distribution, and consumption of healthy,
locally grown foods.
Homegrown Minneapolis

15. • Electronic
Benefit
Transfer at
Farmers
Markets
• Community
Garden Pilot
• Urban
Agriculture
Topical Plan
Homegrown Minneapolis Examples

16. Taking a closer look at
corner stores

17. We know that they are everywhere…

18. We also know…
•Families often depend on corner stores for grocery
needs
• Corner stores often have limited healthy food choices
•Stores are required to carry minimum variety of healthy
foods
–Staple Foods Ordinance
–2009 WIC changes

19. Quick history lesson…2008
Minneapolis Staple Foods Ordinance
• (c) All grocery stores licensed under this chapter must
offer for sale food for home preparation and
consumption, on a continuous basis, at least three (3)
varieties of qualifying, non-expired or spoiled, food in
each of the following four (4) staple food groups, with at
least five (5) varieties of perishable food in the first
category and at least two (2) varieties of perishable food
in all subsequent categories:
• (1) Vegetables and/or fruits.
• (2) Meat, poultry, fish and/or vegetable proteins.
• (3) Bread and/or cereal.
• (4) Dairy products and/or substitutes

20. Staple Foods Ordinance:
Unexpected Impetus?
• Spearheaded by
Licensing Department
• Crime prevention strategy
– Enhance outer appearance
of the store
– Staple Foods = Expansion
of Customer Base
• Food access issue for
Health Department

21. Staple Foods: Enforcement
• Enforced by licensing department
– Less punitive
• Approximately 47 violations
– Warning + education
• Follow-up inspection
– Stores generally in compliance
– Compliance super awesome produce
• Inspectors recognize support for owners
needed

22. Fast Forward to now-ish…
• Cstore Assessments
– Conducted by the Health Department
• Focused in North Minneapolis
– low-income
– two full-scale grocery stores
– complimented a larger food assessment
• Two-phased
– Visual assessment
– Owner Interview

23. Visual Assessment (n=35)
– 72% not in compliance with
produce component of
Staple Foods Ordinance
– 34% didn’t carry any fresh
produce
– Most commonly stocked
produce include: onions,
potatoes, bananas, and
lemons/or limes
– Produce was often found
on the bottom of shelves,
refrigeration cases, or
beverage coolers

24. Owner interviews (n=22)
– 55% were aware of the Staple Foods Ordinance
– Most store owners indicated that customers rarely
come in for staple foods such as produce, milk, and
eggs
– Owners need assistance related to produce marketing
and education such as:
• Sourcing
• In-store displays
• Handling
• Promotional materials such as signage and recipe
cards
• Loans/grants to upgrade equipment

25. • Most prefer fresh produce over canned
•40% of Near North residents having access to a vehicle
•Residents gave low ratings to availability and quality of fresh
produce at corner stores – locations that were reportedly easiest
to access
•Unimpressed by cstore produce
– High cost
– Low quality
– Lack of freshness
•Owners vs resident’s quite the conundrum!
(Source: Northside Healthy Eating Project)
Resident’s perspective…

26. Challenges
• Staple Foods compliance & enforcement
• Lack of support for owners
• Connecting residents
to the stores

27. So, what did others do?
• Researching corner store programs and resources
(other cities, HCSN, market makeovers)
• Common healthy corner store program components:
– Store assessments
– Procuring affordable produce
– Signage and pricing
– Store improvements (internal and external)
– Community engagement

28. Supports owners in making fresh
produce and healthy foods more
visible, affordable, and attractive to
neighborhood residents.
The Minneapolis Healthy
Corner Store program

29. Quick Snapshot…
• 10 partner stores have agreed to:
– Increase inventory of produce
– Display Healthy Corner Store marketing
materials within the store
– Document and sharing sales records of
healthy foods
– Attend a produce handling training
• Implementation completed December

30. Benefits to stores
• Store assistance entails:
– Identifying goals, opportunities, and strategies for
increasing sales of healthy foods
– Strategically display fresh produce and healthy foods
– Displaying in-store promotional materials highlighting
healthy foods
– Purchasing, pricing and stocking healthy foods
affordably
– Developing a financial system to help track and
monitor sales of healthy foods

31. Breaking down the process…
Produce procurement
and sales and handling
training
Interior and exterior
display
Marketing and
Community Involvement
Store recruitment and
assessment
Finding the right
consultant

32. Where’s Consultant?
• Start looking early
• Determine what skills
you need
• Examine non-
traditional avenues for
partnership

33. Breaking down the process…
Produce procurement
and sales and handling
training
Interior and exterior
display
Marketing and
Community Involvement
Finding the right
consultant
Store recruitment and
assessment

34. Selection of Stores
• Criteria for store
selection
• City Council Approval
• Application Developed
– Mailed to 90 stores
– 15 applicants
• 10 stores selected
• Memorandum of
understanding
• Store introductions
Minneapolis Healthy Corner Store Program
Application
T
Thank you for your interest in applying for the Minneapolis Healthy Corner Store Program.
Please take a moment to fill out this application and return by Tuesday, May 25, 2010, to the
MDHFS Healthy Corner Store Program at 250 S 4th Street, Room 510, Minneapolis, MN 55415.
The City of Minneapolis Department of Health and Family Support (MDHFS) will select 10 stores
to participate in this program. If you have any questions, please contact Aliyah Ali at 612-673-
3861 or aliyah.ali@ci.minneapolis.mn.us.
Store Background
Store Name: Owner Name (main contact):
Address Phone:
Email:
Please check yes or no for the following questions: Yes No
Do you accept EBT (food stamps)
Do you accept WIC?
Are you willing to increase your stock of fresh fruits and
vegetables?
Are you willing to increase your stock of whole grain products?
Are you willing to increase your stock of low-fat and/or skim dairy
products?
Are willing to track sales of fresh produce and healthy foods?

35. Store Assessments
• Visual assessment
– Healthy foods pricing and placement
– Signage
– Overall sense of store layout
• Owner Interview
– Experience carrying produce
– Procurement and pricing of produce
– Customer demand
– Mechanism for owner engagement
• Customer Survey

36. FINDINGS: VISUAL
ASSESSMENT
PRODUCE DISPLAYSignageProduce Handling

37. Results: Owner Interview
• Produce primarily
purchased from other
grocery stores
• Nominal revenue from
healthy foods
• Produce display and
handling support needed
• Immense appreciation
coupled with mild
skepticism

38. Breaking down the process…
Interior and exterior
display
Marketing and
Community Involvement
Finding the right
consultant
Store recruitment and
assessment
Produce procurement
and sales and handling
training

39. Show me the produce!
• Recap: the problem
• Sleuthing out opportunities
• Ultimate goal = affordable produce for
residents
• Capitalizing on existing distribution
mechanisms vs developing a new system

40. Show me the produce!
• Met with area wholesalers
– Received pricing lists
– Negotiated additional support
• Determined core list of items
• Options presented to store owners
– Bix Produce selected: better pricing+0
distribution costs = affordable produce

41. Produce sales and
handling training
• Training activities
– Introduce store owners
– Warehouse tour
– Handling practices of core items
– Pricing produce
– Sales tracking
• Stores receive $200 credit for first produce
purchase

42. Breaking down the process…
Marketing and
Community Involvement
Finding the right
consultant
Store recruitment and
assessment
Produce procurement
and sales and handling
training
Interior and exterior
display

43. Interior/exterior display
• Healthy foods display
– Display baskets
– Visible veggies
– Priced produce
– 3 core items: grab and
go, meal options,
combining wic-able
items
• Signage (indoor and
outdoor)

45. Breaking down the process…
Finding the right
consultant
Store recruitment and
assessment
Produce procurement
and sales and handling
training
Interior and exterior
display
Marketing and
Community Involvement

46. Involving the community
• Primarily through marketing activities
– Store “kick-off”
– Taste testing sessions
– Food demos
– Newspaper advertising
• Youth Participation
– North Minneapolis YMCA
– Roosevelt High School

47. Breaking down the process…
Finding the right
consultant
Store recruitment and
assessment
Produce procurement
and sales and handling
training
Interior and exterior
display
Marketing and
Community Involvement

48. Project evaluation
• Not just about # of stores
• Tracking sales of produce
• Before and after photos to document
space allocated to produce

49. Looking ahead
• Incremental approach
• Exploring other ideas
– Façade improvements
– Incorporating locally grown
and/or organic produce
– Expanding the project
• Continuing technical assistance
• Project expansion contingent on funding

50. Revisiting SHIP
• Focus on communities of need
• Affect multiple environments:
– Daycares, parks, housing complexes,
neighborhoods, schools, worksites, corner
stores
• Change food environments through
following approaches:
– practices, availability, affordability, opportunity

51. Discussion Questions
• Are you working (or plan to work) with
corner stores in your community?
• Describe what you are doing.
• What has been your biggest success?
• What has been your biggest challenge?

52. Acknowledgements
• Minnesota Department of Health
• Northpoint Health and Wellness Center
• Hennepin County through the Blue Cross
Blue Shield Healthy Eating MN Grant

53. Contact Information
Aliyah Ali, MPH
Minneapolis Statewide Health
Improvement Program
aliyah.ali@ci.minneapolis.mn.us
612-673-3861
Creating a Healthier Minneapolis
healthy eating + physical activity + smoke-free living