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Healthy Corner

Store Initiative

Working with students and communities to teach healthy snacking and improve fresh food access

The Issue

In communities that lack supermarkets, families depend on corner stores for food purchases. The choices at these stores are often limited to packaged food and very little, if any, fresh produce. Corner stores are also frequent destinations for children, many of whom stop daily on the way to and from school for snacks. A study published in Pediatrics found that the average Philadelphia student purchases more than 350 calories on each visit to the corner store -- and 29 percent of them shop at corner stores twice a day, five days a week, consuming almost a pound worth of additional calories each week.

Learn more: Pediatrics: Snacking in Children: The Role of Urban Corner Stores

The Food Trust Solution

In partnership with these communities, The Food Trust developed the Healthy Corner Store Initiative to increase the availability of healthy foods in corner stores and to educate young people about healthy snacking through nutrition education in schools and the Snackin' Fresh Crew youth leadership program. This pilot program is active in five North Philadelphia communities.

Learn more: Healthy Corner Store Initiative (PDF)

Contact The Food Trust's Brianna Almaguer Sandoval

Healthy Corner Store Initiative: Change Through Youth

Fun, interactive nutrition education lessons and school-wide activities teach students about healthy snacking choices.

Student leaders are selected to participate in the Snackin' Fresh Crew, a youth leadership group which works to effect healthy changes in their school and community.

Snackinfresh.org connects students across Philadelphia and spreads the word about healthy eating.

Learn more: Healthy Corner Store Initiative featured
on Good Morning America (Video)

Healthy Corner Store Initiative: Change Through Corner Stores

The Healthy Corner Initiative partners with corner store owners to increase the availability of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Snackin' Fresh-branded water and fresh fruit salad are student-friendly choices available to the corner stores. The Snackin' Fresh brand is part of a social marketing campaign created by and for the program's youth to encourage healthy snacking.

The Healthy Corner Store Initiative formed the Philadelphia Healthy Corner Store network, linking together corner store owners, community partners and local farmers to create and sustain healthy corner stores. The Philadelphia Network includes 40 corner stores.

Learn more: Philadelphia Healthy Corner Store Network brochure (PDF)

HealthyCornerStores.org

Healthy Corner Store Initiative: Seeing Change Through Evaluation

Temple University's Center for Obesity Research and Education evaluates the effects of the Healthy Corner Stores Initiative on caloric consumption and body mass index (BMI) and changes in the availability of healthy snacks at corner stores. The baseline study was published in the November 2009 Pediatrics showing that the average Philadelphia student purchases more than 350 calories on each visit to the corner store -- and 29 percent of them shop at corner stores twice a day, five days a week, consuming almost a pound worth of additional calories each week.