Makenzie Miller, Ruthie Losavio and Denise Holston

The connection between our health and what we eat and drink is clear: following a healthy dietary pattern can help us maintain good health and lower our risk for chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease throughout our lives. However, it is not always easy to access healthy foods and beverages like fruits, vegetables, whole grains and fat-free and low-fat dairy products.

In the United States, 10.2% of households are food insecure, meaning they do not have consistent, dependable access to enough food for an active, healthy life. In Louisiana, the prevalence of food insecurity is higher than the national average, with 14.5% of households considered food insecure, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service. According to County Health Rankings, Louisiana scores 5 out of 10 in Food Environment Index, which considers the distance a person lives from a grocery store or supermarket and the inability to access healthy food due to cost barriers. Discussions with low-income, predominantly Black, rural Louisianians confirmed that barriers to accessing healthy food, such as high food prices, poor food quality and limited access to transportation, exist and negatively impact household food security.

Healthy food retail is one of many approaches that can be used to improve healthier food access in communities. Healthy retail strategies aim to increase access to healthier foods and beverages by establishing or making improvements to food retail venues, like grocery stores, convenience stores and dollar stores. These strategies can also benefit food retailers by increasing sales of healthier items in their store, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In line with the LSU AgCenter’s Healthy Communities initiative, which seeks to make Louisiana towns healthier places to live, work, learn and play, LSU AgCenter nutrition agents began piloting healthy retail work in 2018, using University of Missouri Extension’s Stock Healthy, Shop Healthy program. While this program had some successes, the pilot work revealed a need to develop a healthy retail program tailored specifically to Louisiana audiences, including recipes with familiar, culturally appropriate ingredients like catfish, sweet potatoes and mirlitons; Louisiana-specific branding; and opportunities to highlight local products. In 2021, a work group consisting of state office specialists, nutrition researchers and field agents was formed to create a new healthy retail program. The following year, program materials were finalized, AgCenter nutrition agents were trained to implement the program, and the LSU AgCenter’s Geaux Shop Healthy program was made available statewide.

Geaux Shop Healthy is a community-based healthy retail program that aims to increase the supply and demand of healthy foods in communities. The LSU AgCenter Healthy Communities program partners with local retailers to identify and implement strategies to promote healthy items in their store and encourage shoppers to purchase these items. With the understanding that every store and the community it serves is unique, Geaux Shop Healthy was created to accommodate the needs and capacity of its partner stores.

With the help of AgCenter agents, stores can move at their own pace through the program and choose what changes they think will work best for their store and clientele. Healthy retail strategies include making changes to store marketing and communications related to healthier foods, making changes to store displays and stocking to feature healthier items, and offering educational and engagement opportunities to store customers and/or staff.

In addition to playing a role in improving healthy food access in their communities, participating food retailers enjoy many additional benefits through Geaux Shop Healthy. Partner stores receive free marketing materials, positive publicity, technical assistance from LSU AgCenter staff and opportunities to host events in collaboration with the LSU AgCenter. As partner stores continue to implement healthy retail strategies, they can move through different levels of partnership and receive free “achievement items” for their store like shelving displays, shopping baskets, branded tote bags and aprons, customizable signage, produce bag stands and scales, and hand sanitizer dispensers.

To be a program partner, a store must meet two criteria: be a SNAP-authorized retailer (as determined by USDA Food and Nutrition Service) and have a suitable variety of healthy food items offered at their store (as determined by an assessment). If a store does not meet these criteria, the LSU AgCenter may still be able to partner with a store to provide nutrition-related resources and technical assistance.

The LSU AgCenter is actively seeking Geaux Shop Healthy partnerships with food retailers across the state. To find more information or to inquire about a partnership, contact your local LSU AgCenter extension office and ask for the nutrition agent or email us at healthycommunities@agcenter.lsu.edu.

You can also learn more about the Geaux Shop Healthy program on the LSU AgCenter website at bit.ly/GeauxShopHealthy.

Makenzie Miller and Ruthie Losavio are extension associates in the LSU AgCenter School of Nutrition and Food Sciences. Denise Holston is an associate professor in the School of Nutrition and Food Sciences.

This article appears in the summer 2023 edition of Louisiana Agriculture magazine.

Geaux Shop Healthy “shelf talkers” highlight healthy options throughout partner stores. Photo by Ruthie Losavio

LSU AgCenter nutrition agent Joy Sims showcases Geaux Shop Healthy signage at Doug’s IGA in Tallulah, Louisiana. Photo by Ruthie Losavio