Healthy Affordable Food

RWJF Priority: Increase access to high-quality, affordable foods through new or improved grocery stores and healthier corner stores and bodegas

Research shows that having a supermarket or grocery store in a neighborhood increases residents’ fruit and vegetable consumption and is associated with lower body mass index (BMI) among adolescents. Yet, many families do not have access to healthy affordable foods in their neighborhoods. This is especially true in lower-income communities, where convenience stores and fast-food restaurants are widespread, but supermarkets and farmers’ markets are scarce.

Childhood Obesity Policy Priorities

Health policy snapshot

Do All Americans Have Equal Access to Healthy Foods?

Millions of Americans do not have access to healthy, affordable foods. Supermarkets provide the most reliable access to nutritious and affordable produce.

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From Bridging the Gap

Zoning for Healthy Food Access Varies by Community Income

Community zoning policies are more likely to allow fast-food restaurants and retail stores than supermarkets and grocery stores.

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From Healthy Eating Research

Changes to WIC Program Improve Access to Healthy Foods and Beverages Without Increasing Costs

Corner stores, convenience stores, and bodegas in two lower-income North Philadelphia neighborhoods began carrying healthier foods after the federal government made changes to a popular food aid program.

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From the Food Trust

Harnessing the Power of Supermarkets to Help Reverse Childhood Obesity

This report identifies “win-win-win” solutions for consumers, retailers and manufacturers.

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Winning strategies in the fight against childhood obesity

Pittsburgh-Area Supermarket a Showplace for Healthier Food Options

Thanks to a state grant and loan program, Safran Brothers Shop & Save is a gleaming, up-to-date store and a business that is adding jobs to this economically depressed area.

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From the Hudson Institute

Lower-Calorie Foods: It's Just Good Business

Restaurant chains that serve more lower-calorie foods and beverages have better business performance.

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3 p.m. to Bedtime: Crunch Time for Children and Obesity

Crunch Time: Challenges and Solutions

A poll reveals that many parents face a variety of barriers to helping their children lead healthy lives, especially during the "crunch time" from 3 p.m. to bedtime.

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More Research and Resources on Healthy Affordable Food

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Salud America! A National Research Network to Build the Field and Evidence to Prevent Latino Childhood Obesity

March 1, 2013 | Journal Article

Salud America! fills the research void, employing an ecological approach—focused on society, school, family, and the individual—to prevent and reduce childhood obesity among Latino children.

Salud Tiene Sabor

March 1, 2013 | Journal Article

Restaurant owners voluntarily participate in a project to provide menu nutritional information—and influence healthier food choices.

Monitoring Foods and Nutrients Sold and Consumed in the United States

January 1, 2012 | Journal Article

As food production and consumption change, researchers look to datasets to provide information on food in America.

A Faith-Led Effort to Combat Childhood Obesity in Oregon

September 9, 2011 | Program Result Report

Staff at Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon built and engaged two coalitions of faith communities - in Portland and Corvallis - government agencies, advocacy groups and others to improve the health of congregations and their communities.

El Paso Group Teaches Kids to Eat Healthier

September 7, 2011 | Story

Winning Strategies in the Fight Against Childhood Obesity.

Faith & Food

August 4, 2011 | Program Result Report

The Center for Closing the Health Gap in Greater Cincinnati, in partnership with three Avondale neighborhood churches, mobilized a faith-based coalition to advance policies to improve the availability of healthy, affordable foods.

Mobile Food Vending and the After-School Food Environment

January 1, 2010 | Journal Article

This study observed the after-school food environment in an urban area in order to study the range of vendors encountered near schools and the items sold in the after-school period.

US-Based Food and Agricultural Value Chains and Their Relevance to Healthy Diets

July 1, 2009 | Journal Article

A Global Value Chain (GVC) analysis examines the structure of food production and consumption systems and identifies leverage points that can bring change at a structural level. This article applies the GVC framework to two food value chains—chicken and tomatoes—to gain insights into the contemporary dynamics of food supply chains and their implications for healthy diets.

Affordability and Obesity

July 1, 2009 | Journal Article

This article examines the relationship between obesity and the affordability of food. While some argue that the availability of certain types of foods has a causal effect on obesity, there is little definitive data supporting this claim.

Building Infrastructure to Document the U.S. Food Stream

February 1, 2013 | Journal Article

This commentary praises the detailed work of the article “Food Companies’ Calorie-Reduction Pledges to Improve U.S. Diet," which describes the independent evaluation of the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation (HWCF) pledge to remove 1.5 trillion calories a year from the marketplace by the end of 2015.