Poll Shows Voters in North Carolina Support Bringing Healthier Food into Corner Stores

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When neighborhood grocery stores begin selling healthy food, Latino families tend to buy them. While studies show these efforts work, do they have the support of the community?

The North Carolina Alliance for Health released the poll results this week that found a majority of voters in North Carolina would support efforts to put more healthy food into neighborhood grocery stores.

The poll, funded by the American Heart Association, showed that 70 percent of registered voters in the state support the effort to encourage neighborhood stores to stock healthy foods. A similar majority supported the idea that state and local governments should provide training and incentives to store owners.

According to an article in the Winston-Salem Journal, North Carolina already has a Healthy Corner Store program, where local health departments use grant money to help corner store owners offer more fresh fruits and vegetables.

The North Carolina Alliance for Health said the poll also found that North Carolinians are concerned about childhood obesity, and that half of registered voters view a lack of access to grocery stores in low- to moderate-income areas as a serious or somewhat serious problem.

With voter support, advocacy groups in North Carolina could begin pushing for policies that would provide resources for programs like the Healthy Corner Store program.

Read more about the poll here.