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Candy bars, potato chips and bottles of pop have long been staples of the corner store, but a new Ottawa Public Health initiative is adding some healthier options to the mix.
The pilot project aims to get more fresh produce, low-fat dairy products and meat alternatives onto the shelves of corner stores, especially in neighbourhoods that lack a full-scale grocery store.
Participating stores have agreed to carry at least three different fresh vegetables, three different fresh fruits, whole-grain products, low-fat milk products and at least two different meat alternatives, such as beans, canned fish, eggs, lentils or tofu, all sold at prices comparable to what a shopper might find at the grocery store.
OPH helps with marketing and promotion, product displays and, behind the scenes, links stores with wholesalers and the group-buying power of Just Food to purchase stock, said Krystal Taylor, the public health dietitian driving the initiative.
It has been launched in three stores — Little Italy’s Preston Food Market, Lowertown’s Lauzon Meats, and Food Friends on Carling Avenue in the Queensway Terrace North neighbourhood — and, according to Taylor, OPH is hoping a major convenience store chain will soon sell fresh fruit and veggies at two or three of its Ottawa locations. Similar projects have been launched in Montreal and Toronto.
By summer, Taylor said OPH will use sales data and lessons learned during the pilot to expand the initiative to other low-income neighbourhoods.
At the Preston Food Market, which Jasvir Dhillon has owned for 20 years, shoppers can buy apples, bananas and oranges, and carrots, onions, potatoes and garlic. The shop at the corner of Preston and Elm streets also sells milk, cheese, butter, yogurt, bread and canned goods.
While his shop moves its fair share of candy bars and potato chips, Dhillon says some shoppers are reaching for healthier options. “A lot of people now don’t want junk food. That’s what they ask for so that’s what we stock.”
And his prices are fairly competitive — apples and bananas sell for 49 cents each. A small orange costs a quarter.
“There’s nothing around here, so we try to bring more produce and healthy food,” he said. “Hopefully it’s going to work out and we’re going to do more and more.”
Though Preston Street and nearby Chinatown are home to many fine restaurants and take-away food shops, buying the basics at an affordable price can be a challenge. The area is considered a “food desert” because a grocery store is more than one kilometre away, so many people, especially those with limited incomes and transportation options, often rely on corner stores to buy food.
Taylor said people without access to food, either because of income or geography or both, have higher rates of physical, mental and oral health issues, including diabetes and heart disease.
“This is one strategy to increase access to good food in low-income neighbourhoods,” she said, adding she hopes to see the initiative grow in the coming years.
“In five to 10 years, I would hope it’s the norm to have a corner store supply all the ingredients for a good meal, and that people shop there.”
mpearson@postmedia.com
twitter.com/mpearson78
查看原文...
The pilot project aims to get more fresh produce, low-fat dairy products and meat alternatives onto the shelves of corner stores, especially in neighbourhoods that lack a full-scale grocery store.
Participating stores have agreed to carry at least three different fresh vegetables, three different fresh fruits, whole-grain products, low-fat milk products and at least two different meat alternatives, such as beans, canned fish, eggs, lentils or tofu, all sold at prices comparable to what a shopper might find at the grocery store.
OPH helps with marketing and promotion, product displays and, behind the scenes, links stores with wholesalers and the group-buying power of Just Food to purchase stock, said Krystal Taylor, the public health dietitian driving the initiative.
It has been launched in three stores — Little Italy’s Preston Food Market, Lowertown’s Lauzon Meats, and Food Friends on Carling Avenue in the Queensway Terrace North neighbourhood — and, according to Taylor, OPH is hoping a major convenience store chain will soon sell fresh fruit and veggies at two or three of its Ottawa locations. Similar projects have been launched in Montreal and Toronto.
By summer, Taylor said OPH will use sales data and lessons learned during the pilot to expand the initiative to other low-income neighbourhoods.
At the Preston Food Market, which Jasvir Dhillon has owned for 20 years, shoppers can buy apples, bananas and oranges, and carrots, onions, potatoes and garlic. The shop at the corner of Preston and Elm streets also sells milk, cheese, butter, yogurt, bread and canned goods.
While his shop moves its fair share of candy bars and potato chips, Dhillon says some shoppers are reaching for healthier options. “A lot of people now don’t want junk food. That’s what they ask for so that’s what we stock.”
And his prices are fairly competitive — apples and bananas sell for 49 cents each. A small orange costs a quarter.
“There’s nothing around here, so we try to bring more produce and healthy food,” he said. “Hopefully it’s going to work out and we’re going to do more and more.”
Though Preston Street and nearby Chinatown are home to many fine restaurants and take-away food shops, buying the basics at an affordable price can be a challenge. The area is considered a “food desert” because a grocery store is more than one kilometre away, so many people, especially those with limited incomes and transportation options, often rely on corner stores to buy food.
Taylor said people without access to food, either because of income or geography or both, have higher rates of physical, mental and oral health issues, including diabetes and heart disease.
“This is one strategy to increase access to good food in low-income neighbourhoods,” she said, adding she hopes to see the initiative grow in the coming years.
“In five to 10 years, I would hope it’s the norm to have a corner store supply all the ingredients for a good meal, and that people shop there.”
mpearson@postmedia.com
twitter.com/mpearson78
查看原文...
