Beyond the Salad: Evaluating the Availability and Healthfulness of Foods Containing Fruits and Vegetables at Convenience Stores

Objectives: To evaluate the availability and healthfulness of fruits and vegetables at convenience stores in regions of a small U.S. metropolis with higher and lower levels of food access and household income.Methods: Regions of the Grand Forks, ND metropolitan area with lower incomes and less access to supermarkets ("LILA" regions) were identified.Three pairs of convenience stores were selected with one location each in LILA and non-LILA areas.A list of products that could count towards servings of fruits or vegetables according to the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans was compiled at each of the 6 stores.Foods were manually matched with an equivalent item in the Food Patterns Equivalent Database to estimate their fruit or vegetable cupequivalents.Products were also classified using criteria from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Healthy Eating Research (HER) Guidelines.Results: Preliminary results indicate an average of 146 items per store provided at least 0.1 cup-equivalent of fruits or vegetables.Approximately 59% of these items were potato chips, which provide 0.5 cup-equivalents of "starchy vegetables" per 1 oz serving.Potato chips comprised a higher percentage of fruit and vegetable offerings at LILA stores compared to non-LILA stores.Some products such as bottled 100% fruit juice, fresh apples, canned beef stew, seasoned dried mango, pre-packaged fruit smoothies, and a frozen spaghetti dinner meal provided at least 1 cupequivalent of fruits or vegetables.Because most of these products also contain added sugars, sodium, and/or have a high fat content, HER guidelines categorize them as processed/packaged snacks, mixed dishes, or desserts instead of "fruits and vegetables" and recommends that these products be consumed "rarely.".Conclusions: Products providing some fruits and vegetables were offered by convenience stores in LILA and non-LILA areas.Regardless of location, most products were high in nutrients to limit, and very few were recommended for consumption "often" or even "sometimes."Fresh fruits and vegetables may not be feasible to stock regularly.However, the lack of healthful options, especially in LILA areas, indicates an opportunity for more shelf-stable options that contain less sodium, fewer added sugars, and less fat than the current offerings.