Access to Healthy Foods in Two Chicago Low Income Communities

N. Chávez, PhD, RD, LDN1, N. Bates, DrPH, RD, CHES1 and D. Block, PhD2 University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health1, Chicago State University 2

PurposeThe purpose of this research was to assess availability and price of healthy foods in two Chicago Community Areas using the Market Basket Study methods outlined by USDA (Cohen, B and Kantor, L, Community Food Security Tool Kit, www.ers.usda.gov/About ers/sales/).

BackgroundMany urban neighborhoods have limited access to healthy foods, contributing to poorer health as well as food insecurity. Food prices may be disproportionately higher in the more numerous but smaller groceries and the selection and quality of perishable items may be problematic. Documenting access problems is a first step for communities take action to improve healthy food access.

As part of a larger community food security assessment, availability and prices of standard Market Basket shopping list items were surveyed in two low income Chicago communities, Riverdale and Hegewisch.

MethodsA standardized shopping list of 88 items based on the USDA Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) was used to assess healthy food availability and prices in all food stores in Hegewisch and Riverdale. Two ethnic modules with basic foods for African American and Mexican were developed and used in conjunction with the USDA list.

Store types and addresses were verified and invitation letters mailed to all stores prior to the survey. Data were collected with programmed pocket PCs by research staff and community residents. The USDA algorithm was used to calculate costs across store types.

Results HegewischHegewisch is an older factory community on the far southeast side of Chicago with older adults and Mexican immigrants. The 2000 population was 9,871.

7 retail food stores in area: 1 independent supermarket (sales >$2.5 million/year), 5 independent groceries (sales <$2.5 million/year), and 1 convenience store.

The independent supermarket carried more TFP items in nearly every food category than did the independent grocery stores or convenience store (Table 1). Far fewer Mexican module food items were carried in the surveyed stores, with the convenience store carrying only one item (Table 1).

Table 2 shows the prices by food category for the different store types. All food categories except meat and meat products were less expensive at the independent supermarket for the TFP list. Mexican module item prices were more similar between store types than those for the TFP. There were small differences in the total market basket costs between the independent supermarket and independent groceries (Table 5).

ConclusionsA greater variety of healthy foods (as illustrated in the TFP and ethnic module Market Baskets) is available in these communities at the independent supermarkets, and prices are generally lower in these stores.

Residents of Riverdale are particularly underserved by retail grocery outlets.

Weekly Market Basket prices were lower in the Riverdale community although the same variety of basic foods was less available than in Hegewisch.

Funded by the Searle Fund of The Chicago Community Trust

Results RiverdaleRiverdale is an African American community on the far southeast side of Chicago. The 2000 population was 9,809, with nearly half of the residents less than age 14.

3 retail food stores: 1 independent supermarket and 2 independent groceries.

The independent supermarket carried more TFP items than independent groceries, particularly for fresh produce and meats (Table 3). While the independent supermarket carried nearly all of the African American module items the independent groceries carried far fewer (Table 3). Produce and meats were again the most likely missing items.

Lower prices were noted for all but one food category (canned fruits and vegetables) in the independent supermarket (Table 4) compared with the independent groceries.

The largest price food category differential for the African American module (Table 4) was for meats and meat products, and prices were generally higher in the independent grocery stores.

There was an $18 difference in the total Market Basket price between the two store types in Riverdale (Table 5).

NA = not applicable – there are no foods in this category for the Mexican module NAV = no food items for this food category and module were available at the storesa Prices are for standardized amounts of each food item required for the TFP. Missing food items are replaced by the mean price for that food item at the remaining stores.b Unstandardized totalsc One independent grocery carried no fresh fruits and vegetables.

Store Type Hegewisch

Bread & Grain

Dairy Meats & Prote ins

Sugars & Sweets

Total Surveyed 14 6 14 9

Independent Supermarkets

14 6 12 9

Independent Groceries

8.4 3.8 5.8 5.6

Convenience 6 2 2 5

Average 9.47 3.93 6.6 6.53

Total Surveyed 8 2 3 0 0

Independent Supermarkets

4 1 3 0 0

Independent Groceries

3.4 1.2 2.4 0 0

Convenience 0 0 1 0 0

Average 2.47 0.73 2.1 0 0

1

1.33 0 1.4 1.6 9.67

0 0 0 0

6.73 4.2Mexican Module

4 0 3 4 24

14

2 0 2.2 2.8 14

2 0 2 2

2.07 3.33

14.4 54

7 29

13.13 56

0 4 0 3

8.2 3.6 1.2 3

19 88

12 5 5 4 18 85

12 5 5 4

Table 1. Hegewisch Mean Number of Items Available By Store Type And Food Category Thrifty Food Plan

Fresh Fruits & Veg

Canned Fruits & Veg

Frozen Fruits & Veg

Fats & Oils

Spices/ Condi-ments

Total

Independent Supermarket

Independent Groceriesc

Convenience Store

All Stores

Independent Groceries

Convenience Store

All Stores

Fresh Fruits & Veg $17.44 $21.00 NAV $20.41 $5.85 NAV $5.63

Canned Fruits & Veg $5.79 $7.51 $10.29 $7.67 $4.60 NAV $4.22

Frozen Fruits & Veg $14.08 $17.02 NAV $16.53 NA NA NA

Breads & grains $16.38 $19.02 $19.49 $18.71 $1.99 NAV $1.99

Dairy Products $11.66 $12.78 $13.20 $12.68 $9.32 NAV $9.23

Meat / Proteins $42.35 $30.94 $33.72 $32.91 $4.46 NAV $4.45

Fats & Oils $2.38 $3.06 $3.98 $3.09 $6.39 $2.59 $5.77

Spices & Condiments $7.99 $6.42 $6.59 $6.67 NA NA NA

Sugars & Sweets $4.58 $6.38 $9.01 $6.44 NA NA NANA

$8.98

$4.37$5.87

NA

$4.86

$2.08

NA

$1.98

Table 2. Hegewisch Total Cost of Food by Store Type and Food Categories in TFP and Mexican Modules in Dollars. a

Food Categories

TFPa Mexicanb

Independent Supermarket

Store Type Canned Fruits & Veg

Dairy Meats & Prote ins

Fats & Oils

Sugars & Sweets

Total

Total # Items Surveyed 5 6 14 4 9 88

Independent Supermarket 4 6 11 4 7 76

Independent Groceries 4 4 5.6 4 5 54.6

Average 4 5 8.3 4 6 65.3

6 11 3 0 0

6 10 3 0 0

4 5 2 0 0

Spices & Condi-ments

Table 3. Riverdale Mean Number of Food Items Surveyed by Store Type and Food Thrifty Food Plan

Bread & Grain

14

12 17

11.5 12.511.75 14.75

African American ModuleTotal # Items Surveyed 4 1 31Independent Supermarket 4 1 29Independent Groceries 4 0.5 17.5

Independent Supermarket

Independent

Groceriesc All StoresIndependent Supermarket

Independent Groceries All Stores

Fresh Fruits & Vegetables $14.90 $18.50 $17.30 $5.75 $1.83 $3.14Canned Fruits & Vege table s $7.47 $7.05 $7.19Frozen Fruits and Vegetables $13.84 $14.28 $14.13Breads & grains

$19.57 $22.01 $21.20 $11.14 NAV $11.14Dairy Products

$10.49 $15.65 $13.92 $1.99 $1.69 $1.84Meat & Meat Alternatives $23.65 $28.32 $23.77 $25.20 $11.10 $15.80Fats & Oils

$2.03 $42.47 $42.33 $4.37 $3.57 $3.97Spices & Condiments $5.70 $6.75 $6.40 NA NA NASugars & Sweets $4.42 $5.73 $5.29 NA NA NA

$6.06 $5.91 $5.96

Table 4. Riverdale Total Cost of Food by Store Type and Food Categories in TFP and African American Modules

Food Categories TFP African Americanb

Store Type NumberAverage Price $ Number

Average Price $

Convenience store $1.00 $133.21 $0.00 $0.00

Independent Groceries(sales < $2.5 M) $5.00$124.07

$2.00$120.07

Independent Supermarkets (sales > $2.5 M) $1.00$122.64

$1.00$102.07

Average all store types $7.00 $125.17 $3.00 $114.52

Table 5. Average cost of Market Basket by Store TypeHegewisch n=7 Riverdale n=3