Program Incentives

Avatar of Liz Simmons, Community Food Security Coalition

by Liz Simmons, Community Food Security Coalition

Licensing & Zoning: Tools for Public Health

July 23, 2012 in Resources, Tools

ChangeLab Solutions, 2012.

Learn how licensing and zoning laws can help promote public health and how to choose the best strategy to meet the goals for your community. Also, learn the difference between licensing and zoning laws. This guide explains how regulations can be shaped to accomplish goals such as limiting the location or density of tobacco retailers or liquor stores, creating “healthy food zones” near schools, increasing the availability of healthy foods, and requiring acceptance of federal food assistance. Many of the licensing and zoning tools described might be helpful for people working on healthy corner store projects.

Download the full pdf here: Licensing & Zoning-Tools for Public Health.


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Avatar of Liz Simmons, Community Food Security Coalition

by Liz Simmons, Community Food Security Coalition

Putting Business to Work for Health: Incentive Policies for the Private Sector

June 20, 2012 in Reports, Resources

Change Lab Solutions (formerly Public Health Law & Policy), 2012.

“Every day, business owners and real estate developers make decisions that have tremendous impact on our health – where homes are built, where businesses are located, and what kinds of products and services are available. Local government incentives can motivate them to make choices that promote public health.

Developed by ChangeLab Solutions, formerly Public Health Law & Policy (PHLP), this guide looks at how local government incentives can help improve community health. It explains a variety of different types of incentives that promote access to healthy food and physical activity space, and outlines the steps involved in developing and carrying out these policies and programs.”

The report includes a section titled “Expanding Access to Healthy Food Through Incentives,” likely to be useful for those working on healthy corner store projects. Incentives described include tax relief, grants, zoning incentives, waivers, density bonuses, and more.

Download the pdf here.

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Avatar of Liz Simmons, Community Food Security Coalition

by Liz Simmons, Community Food Security Coalition

County effort helps convenience get healthier

April 30, 2012 in News, News & Events

 

Program works to put fruit, veggies in small stores to encourage better habits

The Columbian, April 30, 2012.

Clark County Public Health’s Healthy Neighborhood Store program in Vancouver, Washington, helps small stores sell fresh produce, to encourage people to eat healthier. One participating store owner wasn’t sure the program would work at first, but says customers are now starting to buy the fresh fruits and vegetables, and that his stock rarely spoils before it’s sold.

Now that the pilot project is over, Clark County has seven more stores lined up to participate. The program is funded by Kaiser Permanente and the Centers for Disease Control. Stores will receive tips, signs, and posters, but are in charge of purchasing and selling the foods on their own. The program is being designed so that store owners can customize the program to best fit the needs of their own customers.

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Avatar of Liz Simmons, Community Food Security Coalition

by Liz Simmons, Community Food Security Coalition

Can neighborhood corner stores improve public health?

March 20, 2012 in News

By Staff of GermantownBeat, March 20, 2012.

The Philadelphia Healthy Corner Store Initiative, started by the Food Trust, now has more than 600 participating stores.  That number is set to expand to 1,000, with the help of a $15 million federal grant. The program is recruiting store owners by convincing them that it is possible to make money on healthy food, since “the profit margins are typically 20 to 40 percent, which is much higher than that on chips and soda.” Stores are required to start stocking several different kind of healthy food to participate in the program and to market the products using materials provided by the Food Trust. They are then eligible to apply for small grants to help them buy equipment for storing healthier items.

 

 

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Avatar of Liz Simmons, Community Food Security Coalition

by Liz Simmons, Community Food Security Coalition

Corner stores to become oases in food deserts?

February 23, 2012 in News

WBEZ. February 23, 2012.

This radio piece discusses a new project to transform Chicago’s corner stores from “holes in the walls, to healthy havens.” It’s all part of an effort to increase access to healthy foods in Chicago’s underserved neighborhoods. Corner store owners are getting hundreds of dollars in seed money and refrigeration equipment through the program. One store that signed up for the program is featured, along with the community group that is assisting it.

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Avatar of Laurel MacMillan, Community Food Security Coalition

by Laurel MacMillan, Community Food Security Coalition

Making Food Deserts Bloom

January 4, 2012 in News

January 4, 2012. Willamette Week

Corner Stores in Oregon’s Multnomah County Healthy Retail Initiative receive up to $4,500 incentives for new refrigerators and other incentives.  Funded through the CDC’s Communities Putting Prevention to Work, some question whether the strategy will pay off.  The county will be studying the response of consumers and store owners as the program continues.

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Avatar of Liz Simmons, Community Food Security Coalition

by Liz Simmons, Community Food Security Coalition

Fourth Healthy Corner Store Debuts in New Haven

November 15, 2011 in News

November 15, 2011. New Haven Independent.

A fourth store is now participating in New Haven’s healthy corner store program. Store owners get help from the public health department and the Yale School of Public Health. Students from a nearby high school are helping make the project a success, by canvassing the neighborhood to let residents know about the changes. Incentives to participate in the program include cases for showcasing fresh produce and financial incentives that reimburse storeowners if they buy fresh food that doesn’t sell.

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Avatar of Liz Simmons, Community Food Security Coalition

by Liz Simmons, Community Food Security Coalition

Go Philly!

April 5, 2011 in News

By Mark Bittman, New York Times, April 5, 2011. This editorial describes work being done to improve access to healthy foods in Philadelphia, specifically mentioning the Food Trust’s Healthy Corner Store Initiative. 500 stores have enrolled in the program so far, which provides a cash bonus and refrigerators to participating stores.

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Avatar of Liz Simmons, Community Food Security Coalition

by Liz Simmons, Community Food Security Coalition

Corner Stores Take a Healthy Turn: New Initiative Helps Urban Shops Stock Fruit, Vegetables and Dairy

January 26, 2011 in News

Voice of America, January 26, 2011. This article features one of the 440 corner stores participating in The Food Trust’s healthy corner store program in Philadelphia. Participating store owners receive a $100 bonus for joining the program, refrigeration and display units for produce, and technical assistance. Includes a five-minute radio story.

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Avatar of Liz Simmons, Community Food Security Coalition

by Liz Simmons, Community Food Security Coalition

Innovations in Healthy Retail Pay Off

February 16, 2010 in News

February 16, 2010, Urban Farm Hub blog.The blog posting describes a webinar on “Using Economic Development Funds to Create Incentives for Healthy Retail.” It summarizes the four presentations, including one on the Fresh Food Financing Initiative and corner store projects in Philadelphia coordinated by The Food Trust, and another on Urbane Development projects to improve food retail and related resources. The webinar was organized by ChangeLab Solutions.  See webinar recording.

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