Small retail food stores are ubiquitous in lower-income, urban settings, and are a major food source among lower-income racial and ethnic minority children and adolescents. Little is known about the types of agreements (e.g., slotting fees, retail promotional programs, exclusive contracts) that small retail food stores may have with manufacturers and distributors of high-sugar, high-fat food and beverage products. Formal or informal agreements that directly or indirectly promote the availability and sale of these foods could have an impact on the health of youth in the United States. The goal of this project is to conduct a mixed methods exploratory study of the prevalence and nature of agreements between small retail food stores and manufacturers and distributors of high-sugar, high-fat foods and beverages in four diverse lower-income, urban settings, including Baltimore, Md.; San Diego, Calif.; Raleigh/Durham, N.C.; and Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn. The researchers will conduct 25 interviews in English, Spanish, or Korean as appropriate with store owners and/or managers at each site, for a total of approximately 100 interviews. The interviews will be transcribed, coded, and analyzed. Exploratory analysis will be conducted and differences between sites and other unique prominent features that may differ between stores and/or agreements will be assessed.
Examining Contracts and Agreements Between Small-Scale Food Retailers and the Food Industry
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