Boosting supermarket access can improve diets, health

In communities that have easy access to a number of full-service supermarkets, studies show that residents incorporate more servings of fruits and vegetables into their daily diet.

But in some areas, a lack of access to healthy food presents a barrier to a proper diet, thereby increasing the incidence of obesity and other diet-related health problems. In communities where there is a supermarket shortage, healthy food is scarce, and packaged foods, which are high in fat, sodium and sugar, are plentiful.

In underserved neighborhoods and communities, also known as “food deserts,” residents often rely on convenience stores or small grocers, mainly stocked with highly processed food, or fast-food restaurants. For both urban and rural residents that lack access to a car to get to distant supermarkets, the cost of a taxi or public transportation further limits their grocery funds, resulting in fewer nutritious and high-quality food purchases.

Massachusetts falls far short of the national average of supermarkets per capita, according to a 2010 report issued by The Food Trust. The state would need an additional 141 grocery stores to meet the national average, especially to fill gaps found in lower-income communities.

The report found that access is also a problem, both for urban and rural shoppers.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and the Institute of Medicine have each independently identified adequate supermarket access as key to reducing the rate of obesity in a community.

Today’s supermarkets, much larger than their smaller counterparts decades ago, are often located in suburbs or along highways to maximize parking and profitability. This “supersizing” trend does not appear to be abating.

In order to lure an adequate number of well-stocked supermarkets to serve a community, municipalities can create policies that provide incentives.

The city of Boston has been able to attract a number of supermarkets to the city over the last decade using a host of financial and development incentives. Boston’s size means it can offer a number of incentives not readily available to other communities, but there are several options for smaller municipalities as well.

While tax breaks and grants are good incentives, the current economic climate makes using them difficult. Other lower-level, more “hands-on” assistance may be a draw for a potential supermarket, such as supportive zoning that allows for large-scale development.

Adding language to local development plans to identify potential sites for supermarkets may foster a favorable decision by a potential supermarket builder. In 1994, Cambridge prepared a study that evaluated supermarket access by its citizens and listed suitable land parcels for supermarket development.

Further barriers for supermarket development are transportation, land costs and working with complex municipal bureaucracies for permitting. Streamlining the local permitting process will not only help to attract supermarkets but other businesses as well. Municipalities with a sizeable population that relies on public transportation can influence their public transit authorities to redirect bus routes to supermarkets.

Larger food stores can produce a number of jobs, boosting the local economy. A new supermarket may also serve as a retail anchor or as a catalyst for revitalizing a neighborhood.

Improving access to affordable and healthy food by addressing “food deserts” is a crucial factor in improving the health indicators in a community and in reducing health care costs across the state.

For more information, contact D.J. Wilson at the MMA.