CHICAGO -- Despite a new report that most junk food is purchased at grocery stores, convenience-store retailers continue to embrace their participation in the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) and their commitment to increase healthy foods in their stores.
“We know obesity is a huge issue and all of us at Kwik Trip are dedicated to being part of the solution,” said Steve Loehr, vice president of operations for Kwik Trip of La Crosse, Wis. He noted, however, that he was glad to see the report took the emphasis away from convenience stores as a main culprit.
“We value our partnership with PHA and work hard to encourage other companies in our industry to join in this endeavor, as well,” Loehr told CSP Daily News.
That sentiment was seconded by Ken Hagler, vice president of marketing for Tri Star Energy’s c-stores in Tennessee, Georgia and Kentucky. “Twice Daily is excited to be a PHA partner and continue our fresh-food growth,” he said.
A study released last week and published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition challenged the “food desert” hypothesis, which says a lack of access to supermarkets and grocery stores in some communities worsens the obesity crisis by restricting people’s access to healthy foods.
The study looked at data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which included 4,204 adults in the United States who reported their daily food intake in two nonconsecutive 24-hour periods. Results showed that nearly half (46.3%) of U.S. adults consume sugar-sweetened beverages and 88.8% eat discretionary foods such as cookies, pastries, ice cream, cakes, popcorn and candy on any given day. And they reported buying the bulk of those products at supermarkets and grocery stores.
The survey was taken around the same time first lady Michelle Obama was focusing on the issue of childhood obesity and better food choices through her Let's Move! program. She praised a push for more grocery stores in underserved communities and publicly cited convenience stores as "places with few, if any, healthy options."
PHA, created in conjunction with (but separate from) the Let’s Move! campaign, brokers commitments with the public and private sector to develop strategies for addressing obesity. In addition to Kwik Trip and Tri Star Energy, other retailers who have joined the partnership are U-Gas, Vintner’s Distributors Inc., Sheetz and enmarket. All have committed to selling and marketing more healthy options, such as produce, low-sodium snacks, whole grains and low-fat dairy. McLane Co. Inc. also has signed on as a partner, pledging to enhance the healthier-for-you offerings it supplies to retailers.
“For over a year, the top-selling items in our deli cooler are fresh-cut fruit and low-fat yogurt parfaits,” Hagler said. Twice Daily stores place items at the sales counter and throughout the store to “help guests make the healthy choice the easy choice,” he added.
Kwik Trip, with more than 500 stores in Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota, has added a full line of fresh meats, including several varieties of ground beef, steaks, pork chops, boneless chicken breasts, as well as frozen seafood. The fresh case also includes apples, oranges, bananas, salads and yogurts.
“As our guests see these products every day and become aware we deliver them fresh to every store every day, sales are strong and continue to grow,” Loehr said.
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