The Good Food Sold Here Partnership is a voluntary program for small stores across Minnesota that aims to increase access to healthy foods and beverages. The program prioritizes stores that are near schools and community centers or are in residential areas with limited access to grocery stores.
Stores need to have the capacity and autonomy to make some changes to displays and stocking. If your store is selected, St. Louis County Public Health staff will partner with your store to make it easier to merchandise healthy foods and beverages by helping you to:
- Stock new healthy items
- Promote healthy items available in your store
- Place healthy items in a more visible location
- Make healthy foods more affordable and appealing by offering SNAP, or other pricing and merchandising strategies
Why should you join?
More and more people are looking for healthy products when they shop at convenience stores.
- Nine out of 10 Americans snack daily. Health is an important consideration on more than half of these occasions, according to the Hartman Group’s report, Eating Occasions Compass.
- Profit margins for produce are higher than most other store items according to a report by the National Association of Convenience Stores.
- Produce sales at convenience stores in the U.S. are increasing, based on a 2014 report by the Hartman Group, Convenience Stores and the ‘Fresh’ Opportunity’.
Your store will receive
- Guidance and support on how to stock and display healthy foods
- Market research to understand and stock items your customers want
- Promotional materials to highlight healthy foods
- Funds to purchase displays for healthier foods in your store
- Recognition around your community for selling healthy foods
Benefits to customers
- Your customers will be able to find more healthy food and beverage options that are appealing to them.
- Your community will be less likely to experience poor health, like diabetes, hypertension and high blood pressure, if more healthy foods and beverages are available and sold.
- Residents experiencing transportation issues will have the alternative option of being able to walk or bike to acquire fresh foods.
How it works
- Join: Apply to become a member of the Good Food Sold Here Partnership.
- Engage: We will help you collect input on your customers’ healthy food preferences through simple market research.
- Plan: We will work with you to develop a plan to best address the challenges you face in increasing the stock of healthy items in your store.
- Get support: We will provide trainings to you and your staff, based on your plan, to help you stock, market and sell healthy items.
- Be recognized: We will spread the word in our community about your store’s commitment to the Good Food Sold Here Partnership
Links to resources for stores:
Good Food Access Program Equipment and Physical Improvement Grant
CERTs Energy Efficiency Upgrades
Info on establishing and running community gardens - Public Health Law Center
https://publichealthlawcenter.org/topics/healthy-eating/gardens
For more information, contact Raymond Jobe, St. Louis County Public Health, at jober@stlouiscountymn.gov
or 218-471-7608.
