Bill Encourages Corner Stores to Get Healthier

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Another state legislature is taking-up a bill that would encourage food retailers to provide more healthy food options.

Legislators in North Carolina recently introduced the Healthy Food Small Retailer/Corner Store Act. The bill will provide funding assistance of up to $5,000 to independently-owned corner stores and small retailers to upgrade their refrigeration equipment and provide employee training, to enable the stores to sell fresh fruits and vegetables and other nutrient-dense produce in food desert zones.

“North Carolinians view unhealthy eating and childhood obesity as the most serious problems facing kids across the country today, above a lack of physical activity, education or spending time outside,” said Sarah Jacobson, Healthy Food Access Coordinator for the North Carolina Alliance for Health, in a news article. “It’s time to stop talking about this issue and to start doing something about it.”

Bill sponser Rep. Yvonne Holley indicated that in Durham County, more than 70 convenience stores already have expressed interest.

Read more about the bill here.