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COMMUNITY FOOD ENVIRONMENT ENACT STRATEGY: Transportation The location and accessibility of supermarkets and other large food outlets impact the eating patterns of a community. Transportation issues remain a top barrier of accessibility to healthy foods. By improving transportation options to and from supermarkets, a community's access to healthy foods can be greatly improved. Transportation enhancements can include public transit improvements as well as initiating supermarket shuttle services. Supermarket shuttle services in particular have been shown to be feasible in low-income and transit dependent areas, and the stores offering shuttle services have boasted increased revenues as a result.
Characteristics of transportation strategies:
Homeward Bound: Food-Related Transportation Strategies in Low-Income and Transit Dependent Communities examines fifteen examples of programs providing transportation services to increase access to food sources. Transportation and Food: The Importance of Access This policy brief from the Center for Food and Justice, Urban and Environmental Policy Institute highlights innovative food transportation projects that build bridges between family farmers, food retailers and consumers. Supermarket Shuttle Program: A Feasibility Study for Supermarkets Located in Low-Income, Transit-Dependent, Urban Neighborhoods in California is a report from the UC Davis Center for Advanced Studies in Nutrition and Social Marketing. Authors Mohan and Cassady discuss the financial pros and cons of operating a supermarket shuttle program for storeowners in California's low-income communities. Among their findings, shuttle programs increase customer loyalty, win new customers and reduce cost from lost shopping carts. |
