DETROIT—A study from Detroit suggests that independent grocery stores can improve access to healthy foods in areas without supermarket chains. In neighborhoods with a large grocery store that sells fresh produce, the average daily fruit and vegetable intake increased by 0.69 servings, reported Newswise.
The study appears in the March-April issue of the American Journal of Health Promotion.
“The results suggest that large grocery stores may be important nutritional resources in neighborhoods and extends previous research that has demonstrated similar effects of chain supermarkets,” said lead author Shannon Zenk, PhD, an assistant professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Nursing.