FRIDAY, April 18, 2003 (HealthDayNews) -- Free shuttle service for customers can help inner-city supermarkets increase not just their profits but the well-being of the people in their communities.
That's the finding of a report released this week from the University of California, Davis Center for Advanced Studies in Nutrition and Social Marketing.
Researchers did a market analysis of low-income neighborhoods in five California cities -- San Diego, Long Beach, Bakersfield, Fresno and Oakland.
They concluded that a supermarket-funded shuttle service would be financially viable in all the areas. They estimated the shuttle-generated grocery revenues, depending on the area, would range from $545,700 to $1.5 million.
The researchers' estimates, which they say are conservative, assume that 20 percent of the households without cars in each study area would use a free shuttle service once a week to buy $25 in groceries.
Residents of lower-income and minority neighborhoods would benefit because they would have more opportunity to buy healthy food, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, the report says.
Among people who earn less than $15,000 a year, one in four eats the recommended five or more daily servings of fruit and vegetables, says the California Department of Health Services. About half of the black people living in California eat two or less servings of fruit and vegetables a day.
People who eat diets low in fruits and vegetables are at greater risk for heart disease, cancer and other illnesses.
More information
Here's where you can learn more about the health benefits of fresh fruits and vegetables.
