The Healthy Foods Here initiative is helping businesses in neighborhoods across King County offer healthier selections, including fresh fruits and vegetables. Businesses and communities are working collaboratively with Public Health-Seattle & King County and the city of Seattle to introduce healthy foods available at retail businesses in neighborhoods that have limited nutritious options.
Healthy Foods Here will help businesses in specific neighborhoods in King County to attract new customers, increase sales and profitability, and add nutritious products lines. Businesses may also receive assistance with merchandising, inventory management, store layout and design, communication with suppliers, seed capital and marketing.
Also, the Healthy Foods Here initiative in Seattle has garnered some national attention, appearing on Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move blog. Let’s Move is an initiative working to solve the problem of obesity within a generation.
National retailers, such as Wal-Mart, are also catching on to the trend of an equal amount of healthy food options next to the snacks and treats that are already out there. Check out these articles on My Northwest and the New York Times on why it is important to sell healthier foods.
The Seattle Times also ran a special on the growing number of strokes in young and middle-aged Americans. In the article they promote Michelle Obama’s effort with Let’s Moveand the wide-spread effort to bring healthy foods to neighborhood grocers.
For more information on Healthy Foods Here,who to contact to get involved, and for flyers and brochures, please visit OED’s Healthy Foods Here webpage.