Promising Practices for Creating a Healthy Food ShelfFood Access SummitOctober 29, 2014 1

Presentation Overview Introduction to creating a healthy food shelf

Promising Practices:1. Making Smart Purchasing Decisions2. Building Strategic Partnerships3. Communicating with Donors4. Merchandising Healthy Foods5. Revising the Shopping List

Taking action to transform your food shelf 2

Introduction to Creating a Healthy Food Shelf

3

Healthy Food Shelf Working GroupHow we got here.

Goal: Work collaboratively to assist food shelves in efforts to increase healthy options for individuals and families in need.

Members from• Bloomington Health Department• Minneapolis Health Department• Philips Community Healthy Living• The Food Group

Milestones to date• Hosted 2 healthy food shelf policy workshops to gather and share promising

practices• Created toolkit to assist food shelf managers in adopting new practices, obtaining

buy-in from stakeholders and drafting healthy foods policies

4

Why prioritize healthy food?

• To serve our communities better

• Higher rates of diet-related conditions like diabetes and heart disease are found in low-income communities.

• A more nutritious diet will allow people to live healthier, happier, more stable lives and will give children a stronger start.

Photo credit: http://panoramaatthepeak.com

5

Consequences of an Unhealthy Diet• Low-income people with diabetes have more difficulty managing

their condition and have a higher likelihood of poor health outcomes.• The prevalence of sugar and carbohydrates in our food system

(including food shelves) and the scarcity of whole grains and fresh produce contributes to this problem.

Source: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/diabeticdiet.html

Photo credit: http://motivational-speakers-review.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/bis-pile-of-pasta.jpg

Photo credit: http://www.builtlean.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/starvationmode1.jpg

OR6

Consequences of an Unhealthy Diet

• The foods commonly stocked in food shelves are frequently high in sugar and sodium.

• Convenience foods more often available in low-income neighborhoods are also high in sugar and sodium

• The odds of dying of heart disease rise in tandem with the percentage of sugar and sodium in the diet.Source: “Public Health Takes Aim at Sugar and Salt” Harvard School of Public Health Magazine, Fall 2009, http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/magazine/sugar-and-salt/

Photo Credit: http://www.g4tv.com/attackoftheshow/blog/post/728686/generic-soda-win/

Photo credit: http://tomschlueter.blogspot.com/2010_12_01_archive.html

7

Consequences of an Unhealthy Diet

Photo credit: http://panoramahttp://www.livewellnwfl.com/system/files/Kids%20Eating%20Healthy.jpgtthepeak.com

• Poor nutrition is linked to:

• Lower energy levels

• Decreased ability to concentrate

• Higher vulnerability to common illnesses in both children and adults

• Children experience the most profound effects and can include:• Delayed motor development• Greater degree of behavioral problems and poorer social skills• Decreased attention, deficient learning, and lower educational achievement

Source: http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTCY/EXTECD/0,,contentMDK:20207804~menuPK:528430~pagePK:148956~piPK:216618~theSitePK:344939,00.html

8

Challenges, Concerns, and Roadblocks

What concerns hold you back from making changes in your

current inventory and shifting to healthier food practices?

9

What strategies could be included in a shift to a healthier food shelf?

• Recording the good work you’re already doing

• Promoting healthier choices (excluding fresh produce from poundage limits)

• Prioritizing nutritious foods (“Whenever feasible, we will stock the food shelf according to the following ratios...”)

• Substituting healthier alternatives (brown rice instead of white)

• Limiting junk food (reducing or eliminating

things like pop and pastries)

Fresh Produce

Whole Grains

Highly Processed

Other 10

Should we really be telling people what to eat?

• Healthy foods are more expensive, and often not available in low-income neighborhoods.

• By stocking more healthy items, we are giving our clients more choices, not fewer.

Photo credit: theblondevegan.comPhoto credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/19779889@N00/ / CC BY-NC 2.0

11

Building a Healthy InventoryShopping List, Purchasing, & Donor Communications

12

Key Steps to Building a Healthy Inventory

Create and maintain a healthier inventory with smart purchasing choices

Build strategic partnerships to procure healthier foods

Communicate the need for healthier donations

13

Make Smart Purchasing Choices Shop smart

Partner with multiple vendors Find the best deals and variety

Reprioritize $ to be spent on healthier foods Less purchases made on highly processed foods Add/increase healthy foods – i.e. Whole grains

Increase your food storage capacity Through capacity building grants or partnerships Take advantage of opportunity buys or donations 14

Pancake Syrup Example Valley Outreach used to offer clients one pancake syrup per visit...

But they changed this offer…and this is how they did it! They combined all condiments into one group Clients now have a choice! To choose from pancake syrup, olive oil, salsa, or other condiments

What happened next? They were not ordering as much pancake syrup! Because it now competes with other condiments 15

A Healthier AlternativeIf you are serving 25 people per month (that is 300 people per year):

TOTAL SAVED = $134.17

Amounts Per Case: 1 case oatmeal (36 tubs) = $28/case1 case applesauce (12 cans) = $7/case

If each client receives per month: 1 tub of oatmeal = $233.331 can applesauce = $175

Total Annual Cost = $408.33

Oatmeal + ApplesaucePancake Syrup + Mix

Amounts Per Case: 1 case syrup (12 bottles) = $10.97/case1 case mix (12 boxes) = $10.73/case

If each client receives per month: 1 pancake syrup = $274.251 pancake mix = $268.25

Total Annual Cost = $542.5016

Amounts Per Case: 1 case syrup (12 bottles) = $10.97/case1 case mix (12 boxes) = $10.73/case

If each client receives per month: 1 pancake syrup = $5,4851 pancake mix = $5,365

Total Annual Cost = $10,850

Amounts Per Case: 1 case oatmeal (36 tubs) = $28/case1 case applesauce (12 cans) = $7/case

If each client receives per month: 1 tub of oatmeal = $4,6761 can applesauce = $3,500

Total Annual Cost = $8,176

A Healthier Alternative

TOTAL SAVED = $2,674

If you are serving 500 people per month (that’s 6,000 people per year):

Oatmeal + ApplesaucePancake Syrup + Mix

17

What can you buy with an extra $135? 180 bags of frozen mixed vegetables 274 bags of fresh carrots 244 cans of green beans, no added salt 181 cans pineapple tidbits in own juice

352 boxes of whole wheat couscous 143 (2 pound) bags of brown rice

Fruits & Veggies

96 bottles of olive oil 265 cans of chicken noodle soup, ready-to-eat 153 packs (6 per pack) of trail mix bars

Proteins

Grains

Others/Snacks

*All figures are calculated using values from The Food Group’s ordering list

18

111 cartons of eggs 178 cans of white chicken 257 cans of canned black or pinto beans 155 (2 pound) bags of dry pinto beans

Build Strategic Partnerships

Seek food rescue relationships Variety of healthy and unhealthy Promote the healthy by displaying

first (and more of them)

Grow your own Request a fresh herb garden Or partner with community growing

garden or farmer

19

Create a “wish list” to give to donors (example on next slide)

Host healthy food drives Request one specific food type (i.e. peanut butter, spices/herbs, whole grains) Host outside of grocery store (with permission) and hand shoppers “wish list” Request donations of higher cost items

Use positive language to support healthy donations With your extra $ donation, we would buy more healthy foods including _____. We are running low on these foods _____. Please donate these items if you can. Our clients request and appreciate donations of ___ (i.e. fresh fruits and

veggies).

Communicating our Needs to Donors

20

Wish List & Food Drive

ExampleAliveness Project Food Shelf:

Hosted a food drive outside of The Wedge Coop

Gave shoppers their “wish list” and thanked for participation

Set up baskets and table and collected donations as

shoppers left store 21

MerchandisingThinking like a grocery store

22

23

MerchandisingFACT:

First impressions are formed within the first

5 seconds of shopping

What impression do you want to make? 24

What impression do you want to make?

25

What impression do you want to make?

26

Merchandising Basics Create a healthy first impression at

the door

Make healthy foods more visible, available and appealing

Make the healthy choice the easier choice

Consider the flow of traffic through your food shelf

27

Healthy First Impressions

• Cleanliness and organization are important!

• Place healthy categories of foods front and center

• Fresh produce• Whole grains• Healthy snack items

• Make a visual impact with colorful signage with healthy messages

• A picture is worth a thousand words!28

Add Curb Appeal

•Minimize industrial feel • Add color to walls • Provide ample lighting• Hang posters

• Highlight your volunteers or staff

• Cover or close off back stock areas

29

Visibility and Availability

• Merchandise healthy items at eye or hip level (the “sweet spot”)

• Increase shelf space devoted to healthy foods

• Draw attention by healthy item tags

• Use category signs

• Can’t see in your refrigerator or freezer? Add icons of contents 30

Healthy choice = Easier choice

• Place less healthy items on upper or lower shelf

• Front and face items

• Organize like with like

• Make healthy item the default• Meal/snack-in-a-bag • Decrease amount of less healthy

items on shelf 31

Traffic Flow• Avoid traffic jams!

• Cooler doors should have ample clearance to open

• Avoid tight corners and narrow walk ways

• Consider how your staff have to stock shelves or how orders are received

• Merchandise healthy items, especially heavy items, at start 32

How would you improve this food shelf?

33

How would you improve this food shelf?

34

Promote all types of fruits and vegetables Canned, fresh, frozen, dried

Make healthy choices easier without taking food away

Increase choices of less processed foods Decrease choices of highly processed foods Combine in one group (Ex: canned meals/canned soups) Healthy & unhealthy foods compete (Ex: syrup, olive oil,

salsa) Reorganize by MyPlate Food Groups

Make a Healthier Shopping List

35

Back to the Pancake Syrup Example

Valley Outreach helped to make the healthier choice the easy choice for individuals they serve...

By… Combining into one group Making foods compete

Thus… Less dollars spent On expensive and less healthy bottles of pancake syrup

And… Clients are not complaining about not getting enough syrup 36

Taking ActionHow can you transform your food shelf?

37

How can you transform your food shelf?What promising practice are you

most excited about?

What is one thing you commit to doing soon to create a healthy food shelf for your clients?

Need help getting started? Individual consultations, materials, and

templates available upon request. 38

Presenter contact information Jil Clearman, Phillips Healthy Living Initiativeclearmanj@puc-mn.org

Nora Gordon, Minneapolis Health Departmentnora.gordon@minneapolismn.gov

Karena Johnson, The Food Groupkjohnson@thefoodgroupmn.org

Kristen Klingler, Minneapolis Health Departmentkristen.klingler@minneapolismn.gov

39