STIMULATING SUPERMARKET DEVELOPMENT IN TENNESSEE A report of the Tennessee Grocery Access Task Force ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This report was prepared by Stacy Taylor, Jordan Tucker and Caroline Harries at The Food Trust; it was released fall 2012. Members of the Tennessee Grocery Access Task Force, co-chaired by Renee Frazier and Jeff Olson, provided valuable input. Support for this report was provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Photos by Ryan Donnell. Suggested citation: Taylor, S., Tucker, J., & Harries, C. (2012). Stimulating Supermarket Development in Tennessee: A Report of the Tennessee Grocery Access Task Force. Philadelphia, PA: The Food Trust. Copyright The Food Trust 2012 Dear Neighbors, As co-chairs of the Tennessee Grocery Access Task Force, we are honored to present this report outlining our task force’s policy recommendations for developing healthy, affordable food retail in underserved communities throughout Tennessee. Nearly one million Tennessee residents, including more than 200,000 children, live in lower-income communities underserved by supermarkets. While supermarkets are not the only answer for promoting healthy eating, they provide the greatest variety of healthy, affordable food for our residents while creating jobs and spurring economic development. In addition, a growing body of evidence shows that an increased presence of supermarkets in underserved communities helps people live healthier lives. This task force comprised nearly 60 experts representing the leadership from civic, health, food retail, economic development, government and philanthropic organizations. The task force met to explore barriers to supermarket and grocery store development in neighborhoods where residents lack access to nutritious foods. As a group we identified 10 policy recommendations to advocate for change at both the state and local levels. We are thankful for the dedicated energy of this group, which blended a variety of perspectives to create realistic and effective solutions. We also would like to extend our gratitude to the American Heart Association and the Tennessee Grocers and Convenience Store Association for convening our partnership. Every community deserves to have convenient access to fresh, affordable and nutritious food. We look forward to bringing these policies to fruition and supporting the expansion of food retail development across Tennessee. Implementing the recommendations outlined in this report will require committed, broad-based leadership to attract new supermarkets to Tennessee. We deeply appreciate the hard work and commitment of Tennessee Grocery Access Task Force members as well as the support of the state of Tennessee. Together, we can make healthy, affordable food available for all. Sincerely, Renee S. Frazier Jeffrey Olson Co-chair Co-chair Chief Executive Officer, Director Real Estate, Healthy Memphis Common Table Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. Task Force Tam Gordon Chastity Mitchell Ken Pink Laurie Stanton Members Special Assistant Officer Senior Director Government President and COO Director Child Nutrition to the Mayor Relations E.W. James & Sons and Wellness City of Nashville American Heart Association Tennessee Department of Health Terry Albonetti Greater Southeast Joan Randall Area Sales Director Michele Gourley Executive Director Emily Trenholm SUPERVALU Health Planning Analyst Kimberly P. Molnar Vanderbilt Institute for Obesity CEO Division of Health Planning Vice President Agency and Metabolism/Diabetes Community Development Greater John Bilderback and Program Services Council of Memphis Step ONE Program Manager Clint Gwin Second Harvest Food Bank Bob Reed Chattanooga-Hamilton County President COO Alex Turley Health Department Pathway Lending Michelle Moyers SuperLo Foods Senior Associate Health Planner CB Richard Ellis Mary Nell Bryan Joey Hayes Knox County Health Department Mike Reese President Owner/Operator Store Owner Charles Weathington Children’s Hospital Alliance Food Rite Stores H. Maria Noel M&T Enterprise L.L.C. Director of Business Development of Tennessee Manager, Renewal Community in Southeast Hank Helton The Enterprise Center Todd Reese SUPERVALU Richard Canada Senior Vice President Store Owner Director of the Nutrition, Pathway Lending Jefferson Ockerman M&T Enterprise L.L.C. Stephanie Welch Physical Activity and Obesity Director Director of Community Tennessee Department of Health Paul Hoffman Division of Health Planning Tim Rich Development and Planning Director of Policy and Impacts Director of Property Know County Health Department Rick Casebeer Pathway Lending Peter Oldham and Store Development Government Relations Director Executive Vice President, Chief Houchens Industries Cassandra Williams American Heart Association Jimmy Hopper Administrative Officer Regional Branch Administrator Greater Southeast Director, Regulatory Services YMCA of Middle Tennessee Eddie Robertson Hope Enterprise Corporation Tennessee Department of Store Owner Ted Cornelius Agriculture Jeff Olson Piggly Wiggly Melissa Wolowicz Executive Director Director Real Estate Vice President of Grants YMCA Tennessee State Alliance Yvonne Madlock Southeast Region Freddie Robertson and Initiatives Director Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. Store Owner Community Foundation Jaynee K. Day Memphis and Shelby County Piggly Wiggly of Greater Memphis President and CEO Health Department Ravi Patel Second Harvest Food Bank Director Kenneth Robinson Brian Zralek Rich Mathis The Nashville Mobile Market Public Health Policy Advisor Program Director for Hunger, John Dudas Director of Research and Analysis Office of the Mayor Food Access and Policy (former) Vice President Ochs Center for Metropolitan William S. Paul Shelby Country Government Community Food Advocates Belz Enterprises Studies Director Metro Public Health Department David Smith Bob Durand Scott Means Merchandising and Marketing Director, Member Services President Chris Peterson Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. S&C Foods, Inc. GrowMemphis Coordinator Mid-South Peace and Justice Jarron B. Springer Renee Frazier Leslie Meehan Center President CEO Senior Planner Tennessee Grocers and Healthy Memphis Common Table Metropolitan Planning Jeff Pfitzer Convenience Store Association Organization Program Director, Gaining Ground Benwood Foundation 2 | STIMULATING SUPERMARKET DEVELOPMENT IN TENNESSEE INTRODUCTION Too many Tennesseans, in both urban and rural communities, do not have a supermarket in their community. The resulting lack of access to healthy, affordable food undermines the health and well-being of children and families who reside in Tennessee. A significant and growing body of research has found that people with convenient access to a supermarket eat more fruits and vegetables and are more likely to maintain a healthy weight. With funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, The Food Trust, a nationally recognized Tennessee spends an nonprofit, issued the report Food for Every Child: The Need for More Supermarkets in Tennessee. The estimated $3.6 billion report documents the need for more supermarkets in underserved communities and describes how each year treating state and local policies can help change these obesity-related diseases. conditions. The report highlights the problem: nearly one million Tennessee residents, including more than 200,000 children, live in lower-income communities underserved by supermarkets. These communities exist in rural and urban areas throughout the state, including in the neighborhoods of Caycee Homes, Edgehill and the area surrounding Charlotte Pike in Nashville and Binghampton, Soulsville and Frayser in Memphis. Food for Every Child led to a special convening of key stakeholders in Tennessee to develop a series of policy recommendations to increase access to healthy, affordable foods for residents in underserved areas throughout the state. The Tennessee Grocery Access Task Force was convened by the American Heart Association, the Tennessee Grocers and Convenience Association and The Food Trust. The task force is a cohort of leaders from the supermarket industry, state and local government and economic development, public health, philanthropy and civic sectors of the state. This task force builds upon the work completed in the past several years by a variety of government, private and civic leaders interested in improving access to healthy foods. The task force developed 10 recommendations for state and local public policies that will improve the availability of affordable and nutritious food in underserved areas through the development of supermarkets and other healthy food stores. These recommendations call upon state and local governments to prioritize grocery store and supermarket development in underserved communities. Research indicates that people who live in communities without a supermarket suffer from disproportionately high rates of obesity, diabetes and other diet-related health problems. This situation is pressing; Tennessee spends an estimated $3.6 billion each year treating obesity- related diseases. Providing Tennesseans with greater access to nutritious, affordable food will help alleviate these public health concerns. continued on next page Photo by Ryan Donnell. A REPORT OF THE TENNESSEE GROCERY ACCESS TASK FORCE | 3 Efforts to improve supermarket access must work in tandem with similar initiatives to improve nutrition and reduce obesity in Tennessee. The recommendations put forth by this task force are designed to promote the creation