Corner stores try selling healthy food. Will it work?

[Lone_Star_Dem]

Here's something I hope not only works, but works so well it spreads to all poorer neighborhoods. I've you've never lived in a poor neighborhood, without easy transportation, you may not understand how life changing this could be for many.

A cooler filled with soft drinks used to be the first thing customers saw when they walked through the doors of M&I Meat Market, a bustling convenience store on West Commerce Street.

Now, courtesy of the city and a federal stimulus grant, there's a new refrigerator that's stocked with lettuce, tomatoes, cauliflower and other fresh produce. More fruits and vegetables are stacked nearby on a shelf, and frozen goods — such as pineapple chunks and blueberries — are packed in a new freezer.

“Sweet potatoes, yesterday, we brought them out and they were flying off the shelf,” said store owner Irma Bijarro, who runs the market with her husband, Martin. “We were like, ‘Wow, this is great.'”

The new offerings are part of an experiment by city officials who are trying to bring more healthy foods to poor neighborhoods, where many residents can't afford a car and don't live near a supermarket.

The city's ¡Tiendita Por Vida! program — Spanish for “Little Store for Life” — spent $6,000 for new refrigeration equipment at the meat market at 5106 W. Commerce St., and the Family Market convenience store at 1424 Guadalupe St.

The money comes from a $15 million “Communities Putting Prevention to Work” federal stimulus grant, which aims to encourage healthy lifestyles and wipe out “food deserts” where people don't have easy access to fresh food.

Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Corner-stores-try-selling-healthy-food-Will-it-2265933.php#ixzz1dX1MBKTf

[CTyankee]

1. This story must just KILL republicans. They must be blind with rage when they read

about this "waste" of the taxpayers hard earned dollars. Why can't the poor just go out and EARN the money to shop in Whole Foods? Why do I have to pay for THEM? Buncha losers...:sarcasm:

[Warpy]

3. Or why couldn't they just get better jobs and move to better areas

that still have supermarket? They must be lazy or something.

:sarcasm:

[JI7]

7. more healthy foods means less health problems so costs there will go down

more healthy means people will be more productive in whatever they want to do.

the conservative philosophy just doesn't work in the real world.

the ones who make it on their own are rare cases. most people who are well off are there because of where they were born.

Bush would have ended up in Prison if he was born into a non famous non wealthy family.

[Warpy]

2. They'll need input from their shoppers about which veggies will sell

My guess is it's onions, peppers, garlic, tomatoes, lettuce, celery, carrots, and a special veg of the week that's voted on ahead of time. That's how I'd do it, anyway, since that's the selection the small grocers I've seen have gone with. Keepers like potatoes and winter squashes round out the selection. Fruits would be apples, bananas and D'Anjou pears in winter, other fruits in season.

Food deserts haven't had any of this stuff available for a very long time. It should sell well since poor folks could never afford to forget how to cook and live on takeout, they just had to live on canned stuff since trips to a supermarket outside the area were so arduous they were undertaken only every two weeks to a month or so.

[NMMNG]

4. Wonderful idea

The new offerings are part of an experiment by city officials who are trying to bring more healthy foods to poor neighborhoods, where many residents can't afford a car and don't live near a supermarket.

Much better than all the subsidies to junk-food companies that allow such crap to be peddled to them.

[SoCalDem]

5. If they are careful in their choices, this will be great

As nice as it is to have blueberries & pineapple chunks, if they are too pricey, people will not buy them and the idea may die..

Apples, oranges, carrots, local fresh fruit in season, and the basics for salad would be a good way to start.

[JI7]

6. they should also offer some healthy prepared foods

for people who may not have time to cook and just want to pick up something.

and hopefully it will result in other indie food places opening up offering more healthy foods . and there will be better alternatives to the fast food places which are always in poorer areas.