FRESH BODEGAS:A Look Into A Nonprofit-Business Partnership

Presented by:Crilhien Francisco, MPANYC Strategic Alliance for Health

Outline

I. Overview

II. Program Logistics

III. Evaluation

IV. Challenges

V. Lessons Learned

VI. Next Steps

Healthy Food AccessHealthy eating habits and increased physical activity are considered the most important methods to fight the obesity epidemic.

Research suggests that access to food—including the availability, quality, and price of healthy foods, and the presence of supermarkets and advertising—affect the food choices of residents, many of whom shop close to home.

Key Findings:

Bodegas/Corner Stores are more common and accessible

Bodegas/Corner Stores are less likely to carry healthy foods

Healthy food options are difficult to find

The Fresh Bodegas Initiative came out of the Department of Health’s Healthy Bodegas Initiative. Since January 2005, the Healthy Bodegas Initiative has worked with more than 1,000 bodegas throughout NYC.

Lack of access to healthy food

options 

Increased access to

healthy foodFresh Bodegas Program

No infrastructure to sell fresh produce

Environmental change in food retail store

From Healthy to Fresh…

Fresh Bodegas Units

The Fresh Bodegas Programs aims to test an innovative system for the distribution and sale of local produce in bodegas.  

This model will give store owners the infrastructure to sell and maintain fresh produce the same way that they sell their other products.

Who’s Involved?

Program Logistics

• Outreach

• Evaluation

• Assessment

• Sourcing

• Deliveries

• Marketing

Bodegas Information

Location: 5 in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn 8 in Harlem, NY

Number of Bodegas located within 5 blocks or 1 Ave of a:School: 13Housing Project: 2Subway Entrance 12

 All are on streets with a lot of foot traffic, and 12 out of 13 are on a street with a lot of commerce

7 display the FB Refrigerator in the front of the store, 2 in the middle, and 2 in the back

Evaluation

Surveys Pre- and post- street intercept surveys with bodega customers (English and Spanish)

Focus Groups Two-hour focus groups with community residents (English and Spanish)

Bodega Assessment – Urbane Development Physical Plant and Inventory Audit

Operations and Financial Audit

Customer Spotting and Foot Traffic

Consumer Surveys Table 1: Participant Characteristics

All Brooklyn Only

Characteristic

Baseline%

(n=502)

Baseline%

(n=168)

Endline%

(n=105)

GenderMale 58% 54% 64%Female 42% 46% 36%

Age Range 18-86 18-77 18-86Average Age 46 44 40

Distance: Residence to Bodega (blocks)

Within 1 51% 61% 64%2-4 32% 26% 28%5-10 14% 13% 4%10-20 3% 1% 5%More than 20 15% 11% 13%

Use of Public Benefits to Purchase Food

EBT 52% 64% 50%FMNP 7% 7% 3%WIC 5% 6% 4%Health Bucks 2% 2% 2%

607 individuals surveyed across 13 bodegas

502 Baseline and 105 Endline (counting)

• Majority of participants were male (58%),

• Average age was 46 years, with ages ranging from 18-86 years.

• Most (51%) lived within one block of the bodega surveyed

• Most (52%) use EBT to purchase food

Selected Survey FindingsFruits and Vegetables not high on

list of items purchased by individuals

• Majority (30%) purchased some type of SSB

• Seventeen (17%) purchased some type of unhealthy snack

• Five (5%) purchased some type of fruit

• One (1%) percent purchased on or more vegetables

Table 2: Percent of Individuals Who Purchased Products at Bodega When Surveyed

Brooklyn

ProductBaseline %

(n=168)Endline %

(n=105)

Any sugar sweetened beverage 30% 31%

Regular Soda 14% 10%

Sugar Added Fruit Juice 8% 15%

Diet Soda 2% 4%

Unhealthy Snacks 17% 24%

Chips, popcorn, pretzels, nuts 8% 12%

Cookies, cakes, candy, ice cream 10% 11%

Coffee/ Tea 12% 16%

Fruit 5% 2%

Water 4% 3%

Vegetables 1% 1%

Whole Milk 5% 1%

Low Fat Milk 1% 0%

Red Jacket 100% Fruit Juice n/a 2%

Survey Findings

Table 3: Places Where Fruits and Vegetables are Purchased

Brooklyn

PlaceBaseline %

n=168Endline %

n=105

Supermarket in neighborhood 80% 82%

Bodega Surveyed 23% 33%

Supermarket in other neighborhoods 11% 10%

Street Vendor 6% 1%

Farmers Market 11% 9%

Other Bodegas in neighborhood 4% 1%

Bodegas in other neighborhoods 2% 2%

Bodegas were the second most common place for produce

purchase

• Majority (80%) purchased produce from supermarkets in their neighborhood

• Twenty-three (23%) purchased from bodega survey

• Only 10% reported increase of vegetable purchase in Brooklyn

Focus Groups

Borough Language Participants

Brooklyn2 English Speaking (n=21)

1 Spanish Speaking (n=6)

Harlem1 English Speaking (n=8)

1 Spanish Speaking (n=9)

Total # Participants: 44 Female 30Male 13Transgender 1

Preliminary Focus Group FindingsMost reported that they shopped in

various places for fruits and vegetables

Few reported buying fruits and vegetables at Bodegas.

Most prefer produce in boxes displayed outside the store.

Many reported that they left the neighborhood to shop.

Price and quality are major concerns when buying produce. Would pay more for better quality (within reason)

Feedback on Fresh Bodega RefrigeratorsMost of the participants were unfamiliar with the Fresh Bodega (FB) Initiative and had not seen the

refrigerators at the time of the focus group

• Questioned the freshness of refrigerated produce

• Questioned storing juice and produce in the same refrigerator

• Stated preferences for produce being outside of refrigerators• Including on display in front of store or at a farmer’s market

Bodega Assessments – Preliminary#1 concern for owners is crime, other issues include city regulations,

gentrification

Average rent is $4577, $70.39/SF (Annual) (only for 3 of the 4 stores)

Top Selling Items:1. Beverages,2. Deli Sandwiches, 3. Snack foods

EBT Sales varied wildly, from 6% of sales to 40% of sales

About $3.50 in sales per transaction

Customers visit 1-2x/day 

ChallengesUncharted Territories

1. Store Closings

2. Specifications

Communication 3. Too Many Players Involved

4. Follow-up

Viability5. Delivery

6. Consignment to Direct Orders

Consumer Demand7. Marketing

8. Perceptions

Lessons Learned

Communication is Essential!1. Weekly Check-Ins2. Monthly Reporting

Managing Expectations3. Intrinsic vs. Reality

Demand is Everything!4. Food deserts

Next Steps

May 2012 June 2012 Summer 2012

Transition to

Direct Order

Collect Endline

Data

Conduct Final Focus

Groups

Release Findings

Analyze Data