H4.02 - Oral: Healthy Retailers to Promote Economic Vitality in Communities: The Great Grocer Project

Brief Abstract Summary: The food environment in Detroit has a negative reputation, especially in terms of quality of healthy foods and healthy eating. The Great Grocer Project aims to work with grocers to increase access to, sales and consumption of healthy foods and improve community relationships between stores and neighborhood residents. Data was collected in stores over three time points (N=68) to determine criterion for five primary categories in the GGP: Availability; Affordability; and Quality of Healthy Foods; Community participation in events; and Customer Service and Safety. Scores were developed using data collected via the Nutrition Environment Measures Survey, interviews with a sub-sample of store owners, customer intercept and store staff surveys. Stores have improved their overall mean scores as well as obtaining a greater number of “carrots” across the five categories. Affordability scores are still a burden for urban grocers to meet given the expense of doing business in the City of Detroit.

Detailed abstract description: Background
The food environment in Detroit has a negative reputation, especially in terms of grocery store accessibility, quality of healthy foods and healthy eating. The Detroit Grocery Coalition is a consortium of partners working with Detroit grocers to increase access to, sales and consumption of healthy foods, improve community relationships between stores and neighborhood residents, and connect grocers to training and wellness projects through the Great Grocer Project (GGP).The GGP aims to improve the Detroit retail food environment, improve health outcomes of residents and promote economic vitality within low-income communities.

Objectives
To discuss the successes of the GGP and how collaborations with local small business owners can promote community health and economic vitality.

Methods
Data was collected in stores over three time points (N=68) to determine criterion for five primary categories in the GGP: Availability; Affordability; and Quality of Healthy Foods; Community participation in events; and Customer Service and Safety. Scores were developed using data collected via the Nutrition Environment Measures Survey, interviews with a sub-sample of store owners (N=20), customer intercept surveys (N=99) and store staff surveys (N=104).

Results
Over the past three years, Detroit stores have improved their overall mean scores as well as obtaining a greater number of “carrots” across the five categories. Affordability scores are still a burden for urban grocers to meet given the expense of doing business in the City of Detroit, food inflation and other supply chain issues. Customer surveys also indicate improved service within Detroit grocers with 29% indicating good and 63% indicating very good service.

Conclusions
Collaborations with local grocers via the GGP has assisted in improving the local food environment in Detroit, a low-food access setting. Improved grocery retail environments have also shown promise in improving food and nutrition security for local residents.

Public Health Implications
Working with local business owners in low-income communities is a needed yet underutilized area of public health practice. The design, implementation, and success of the GGP can assist other communities in enriching their local grocer environments to improve food security and healthy eating.