The Coconino County Public Health Services District’s SNAP-Ed program (Coconino SNAP-Ed) met with the Northern Regional Managers of the Bashas grocery store chain to advance efforts to develop in-store healthy retail initiatives coupled with DE activities. The Coconino SNAP-Ed team was able to generate top-down buy-in for their proposals from the regional managers, which then motivated efforts with in-store managers and employees.
The DE activities coordinated by Coconino SNAP-Ed included food demonstrations in both English and Navajo languages at the Tuba City Bashas store in partnership with Tuba City Regional Health Care. Complementary PSE work included establishing relationships with store staff to modify the pricing and placement of healthier foods.
“Collaboration with store staff has begun to influence procurement…educating staff has increased availability of whole wheat tortillas, no salt-added canned vegetables, no sugar-added canned fruit, and larger containers of low-fat/non-fat yogurt. Also, individually priced fruit is now available at the deli for purchase, whereas before a shopper had to go stand in a check-out line to get the fruit weighed.”
Building on these achievements, the Coconino SNAP-Ed team plans to tackle healthy end-cap marketing, enhanced whole grain inventory, and point of purchase prompts in FFY17.
