How often do you stop at a gas station, convenience, or corner store for a few last-minute groceries? Do your children ask for candy at the checkout? Do you ever walk out with soda or chips that you didn’t plan on buying? Our food environment is the availability and proximity of food in the places we live, play, work, and shop. Typical convenience store and gas station food environments can make choosing healthy food very hard, and choosing unhealthy food very easy. It would be much easier to pick a healthier snack if your local gas station or corner store was stocked with colorful, fresh fruits and vegetables and other healthy foods placed near the door or by the register.

These nine stores in the Chippewa Valley are working with members of the Healthy Food Marketing Collaborative to reverse this trend and help residents make a healthy food choice, the easy choice:

Chippewa County

Bridge Stop, 330 W. Main St., New Auburn

Dunn County

Bridge Stop, 101 State Highway 25, Wheeler
Cenex Convenience Store, 318 Railroad Ave., Boyceville
Bob & Steve’s BP Amoco Shop, 1501 Ninth St., Menomonie
Bob & Steve’s BP Gas Station, 506 Highway 12 W, Knapp
Ray’s Market, 102 Tonnar South St., Ridgeland

Eau Claire County

Direct Stores, 317 N. Barstow St., Eau Claire
Korner Store, 309 E. Lincoln Ave., Fall Creek
Great Lakes Fresh Market, 155 W. Lincoln Ave., Augusta

Most participating stores are located in areas of low access to healthy and affordable food. Limited food and transportation options make it harder for many residents living in low-income or rural areas of the Chippewa Valley to eat a healthy diet. Furthermore, new evidence compiled by the Wisconsin Obesity Prevention Initiative shows that, on average, rural communities have higher rates of obesity than urban areas. In Eau Claire County, obesity rates in rural zip codes were found to be up to 10 percent higher than obesity rates in zip codes located within the city of Eau Claire. Often residents turn to gas stations, convenience stores, or corner stores to meet their food needs. The goal of this project was to increase access to healthy food in targeted neighborhoods.

As part of the project, stores completed healthy retail assessments. Based on the assessment, they chose strategies to increase the availability and sales of fruits and vegetables in their stores. Items such as eye-catching displays, coolers, and messaging signs were purchased and placed to help these local stores offer more fruits and vegetables.

For many small stores, it is difficult to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables in amounts they can sell from food distributors. Connections and partnerships built through this work will continue in the Chippewa Valley. If you want to see healthy foods in small stores near you, show your opinion with your purchase. Buy or ask for healthier options at your local store.