Healthy Corner Stores Network

November 16, 2011, Daily Record

A convenience store in the central Washington  county of Kittitas expands to offer healthier items when a full scale grocery store closed after 45 years of operation.  Most of the changes in the 18th Street store “were made by the owners themselves, with the health department advising and providing eye-catching signage outside, better display shelving and placards for each produce item with information on nutritional value.” Additional changes include adding software to accept EBT cards and switching to a wholesale distributor, reducing the costs and attracting more customers.  Program managers acknowledge it will take more than just a corner store conversion to change health statistics.  “The nationwide obesity epidemic is a health issue that will require change on multiple levels before local communities start to see change in the general health of residents.”