A recent New York Times blog describes the efforts of two Seattle M.B.A. students to address the problem of “food deserts.” Food deserts are low-income communities lacking access to healthy food. They are typically defined as low-income areas (1) more than one mile from a supermarket or (2) for rural areas, those more than 10 miles from a supermarket.
In July of 2011, former classmates, Carrie Ferrence and Jacqueline Gjurgevich, launched “Stockbox Grocers,” a start-up that converts reclaimed shipping containers into mini-grocery stores that are placed in parking lots of low-income communities. The store sells perishable, staple items like dairy, meat, and produce, which turnover quickly.
Stockbox Grocers completed an eight-week pilot on November 7th and expects to open two to four permanent stores in the spring of 2012. Its slogan is “Good food, where you live.”
This fall, OLR hosted a brownbag lunch discussion with local policy experts, legislators, and staff on “Access to Healthy Foods in Low-Income Communities.” An audio recording, transcript, and presentation materials are available on the OLR website’s Nutrition and Food Safety webpage.
