What Is It?

Millions of Americans in low-income communities and communities of color walk out of their front doors each morning to find that the only foodstuffs sold in their neighborhoods are in fast- food and convenience stores, featuring high-fat, high-sugar processed foods. Residents of rural areas face a different but related challenge—a complete lack of any nearby food options at all. The results of this lack of healthy food options are grim—these communities have significantly higher rates of obesity, diabetes, and other related health issues. Childhood obesity, in particular, is a major crisis in many of these communities. The problem goes beyond just health, too. Low-income communities are cut off from all the economic development benefits that come with a local grocery store: the creation of steady jobs at decent wages and the sparking of complementary retail stores and services nearby.

Communities without supermarkets generally contain a base of smaller grocery stores, specialty stores, corner stores, ethnic markets, or convenience stores. These typically range in size from 1,000 to 5,000 square feet (while the median size of a supermarket is 48,750 square feet). Many smaller stores are run by independent operators, defined by the Food Marketing Institute as having 11 or fewer locations.

These stores are the only available nearby food resources for residents with limited or no access to cars, and they generally do not provide the same selection, quality, and prices of larger grocery stores. They often lack produce and other nutritious foods, offer low-quality goods and services, are poorly maintained, and charge high prices. As a result, many low-income families spend a lot more on food than they would if they had access to supermarkets and other fresh, healthy food retail outlets.

Improving the product mix at smaller stores and addressing other issues of viability—such as pricing, food quality and freshness, and customer service—are strategies that enhance access to healthy food in underserved communities by building upon existing community resources.

This tool offers concerned residents, policymakers, business leaders, and advocates ideas and strategies for improving small stores in underserved communities. It provides examples of challenges faced by residents wishing to improve the quality of local corner stores and identifies strategies used to overcome many of these challenges.

For information on other strategies for developing new retail opportunities, see the Access to Healthy Food Tool, Grocery Store Tool, Farmers’ Market Tool, and Urban Agriculture and Community Gardens Tool.