Crilhien Francisco from Fresh Bodegas talked about the initiative to bring fresh fruits and vegetables to New York City food deserts.

1. FRESH BODEGAS:
A Look Into A Nonprofit-Business Partnership
Presented by:
Crilhien Francisco, MPA
NYC Strategic Alliance for Health

2. Outline
I. Overview
II. Program Logistics
III. Evaluation
IV. Challenges
V. Lessons Learned
VI. Next Steps

3. Healthy Food Access
Healthy eating habits and increased physical activity are considered the
most important methods to fight the obesity epidemic.
Research suggests that access to food—including the availability, quality, and
price of healthy foods, and the presence of supermarkets and advertising—
affect the food choices of residents, many of whom shop close to home.
Key Findings:
 Bodegas/Corner Stores are more common and accessible
 Bodegas/Corner Stores are less likely to carry healthy foods
 Healthy food options are difficult to find

4. From Healthy to Fresh…
The Fresh Bodegas Initiative came out of the Department of Health’s Healthy
Bodegas Initiative. Since January 2005, the Healthy Bodegas Initiative has worked
with more than 1,000 bodegas throughout NYC.
Increased
Lack of access to
access to
healthy food Fresh healthy food
options Bodegas
Program
No infrastructure to sell Environmental change
fresh produce in food retail store

5. Fresh Bodegas Units
The Fresh Bodegas Programs aims to test an
innovative system for the distribution and sale
of local produce in bodegas.
This model will give store owners the
infrastructure to sell and maintain fresh
produce the same way that they sell their other
products.

6. Who’s Involved?

7. Program Logistics
• Outreach • Sourcing
• Evaluation • Deliveries
• Assessment • Marketing

8. Bodegas Information
Location:
5 in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn
8 in Harlem, NY
Number of Bodegas located within 5 blocks or 1 Ave of a:
School: 13
Housing Project: 2
Subway Entrance 12
All are on streets with a lot of foot traffic, and 12 out of 13 are on a street with a lot of
commerce
7 display the FB Refrigerator in the front of the store, 2 in the middle, and 2 in the back

9. Evaluation
Surveys
 Pre- and post- street intercept surveys with bodega customers (English and Spanish)
Focus Groups
 Two-hour focus groups with community residents (English and Spanish)
Bodega Assessment – Urbane Development
 Physical Plant and Inventory Audit
 Operations and Financial Audit
 Customer Spotting and Foot Traffic

10. Consumer Surveys
Table 1: Participant Characteristics
All Brooklyn Only 607 individuals surveyed across 13
Baseline Baseline Endline bodegas
% % % 502 Baseline and 105 Endline (counting)
Characteristic (n=502) (n=168) (n=105)
Gender • Majority of participants were male (58%),
Male 58% 54% 64%
Female 42% 46% 36%
Age Range 18-86 18-77 18-86 • Average age was 46 years, with ages
Average Age 46 44 40 ranging from 18-86 years.
Distance: Residence to Bodega
(blocks)
Within 1 51% 61% 64% • Most (51%) lived within one block of the
2-4 32% 26% 28% bodega surveyed
5-10 14% 13% 4%
10-20 3% 1% 5%
More than 20 15% 11% 13%
• Most (52%) use EBT to purchase food
Use of Public Benefits to Purchase
Food
EBT 52% 64% 50%
FMNP 7% 7% 3%
WIC 5% 6% 4%
Health Bucks 2% 2% 2%

11. Selected Survey Findings
Table 2: Percent of Individuals Who Purchased Products at Bodega
When Surveyed
Fruits and Vegetables not high on Brooklyn
list of items purchased by
Baseline % Endline %
individuals Product (n=168) (n=105)
Any sugar sweetened beverage 30% 31%
• Majority (30%) purchased some type of
SSB Regular Soda 14% 10%
Sugar Added Fruit Juice 8% 15%
• Seventeen (17%) purchased some type of Diet Soda 2% 4%
unhealthy snack
Unhealthy Snacks 17% 24%
• Five (5%) purchased some type of fruit Chips, popcorn, pretzels, nuts 8% 12%
Cookies, cakes, candy, ice cream 10% 11%
• One (1%) percent purchased on or more
Coffee/ Tea 12% 16%
vegetables
Fruit 5% 2%
Water 4% 3%
Vegetables 1% 1%
Whole Milk 5% 1%
Low Fat Milk 1% 0%
Red Jacket 100% Fruit Juice n/a 2%

12. Survey Findings
Table 3: Places Where Fruits and Vegetables are Purchased
Brooklyn Bodegas were the second most
Baseline % Endline % common place for produce
Place n=168 n=105 purchase
Supermarket in neighborhood 80% 82%
• Majority (80%) purchased produce from
Bodega Surveyed 23% 33%
supermarkets in their neighborhood
Supermarket in other neighborhoods 11% 10%
• Twenty-three (23%) purchased from bodega
Street Vendor 6% 1%
survey
Farmers Market 11% 9%
Other Bodegas in neighborhood 4% 1% • Only 10% reported increase of vegetable
purchase in Brooklyn
Bodegas in other neighborhoods 2% 2%

13. Focus Groups
Total # Participants: 44
Female 30
Male 13
Transgender 1
Borough Language Participants
2 English Speaking (n=21)
Brooklyn
1 Spanish Speaking (n=6)
1 English Speaking (n=8)
Harlem
1 Spanish Speaking (n=9)

14. Preliminary Focus Group Findings
Most reported that they shopped in
various places for fruits and vegetables
 Few reported buying fruits and vegetables at
Bodegas.
 Most prefer produce in boxes displayed outside
the store.
 Many reported that they left the neighborhood
to shop.
 Price and quality are major concerns when
buying produce.
 Would pay more for better quality (within reason)

15. Feedback on Fresh Bodega Refrigerators
Most of the participants were unfamiliar with the
Fresh Bodega (FB) Initiative and had not seen the
refrigerators at the time of the focus group
• Questioned the freshness of refrigerated produce
• Questioned storing juice and produce in the same
refrigerator
• Stated preferences for produce being outside of
refrigerators
• Including on display in front of store or at a farmer’s market

16. Bodega Assessments – Preliminary
#1 concern for owners is crime, other issues include city
regulations, gentrification
Average rent is $4577, $70.39/SF (Annual) (only for 3 of the 4 stores)
Top Selling Items:
1. Beverages,
2. Deli Sandwiches,
3. Snack foods
EBT Sales varied wildly, from 6% of sales to 40% of sales
About $3.50 in sales per transaction
Customers visit 1-2x/day

17. Challenges
Uncharted Territories
1. Store Closings
2. Specifications
Communication
1. Too Many Players Involved
2. Follow-up
Viability
1. Delivery
2. Consignment to Direct Orders
Consumer Demand
1. Marketing
2. Perceptions

18. Lessons Learned
Communication is Essential!
1. Weekly Check-Ins
2. Monthly Reporting
Managing Expectations
1. Intrinsic vs. Reality
Demand is Everything!
1. Food deserts

19. Next Steps
Transition Conduct Release
to Final Focus Findings
Direct Groups
Order
May 2012 June 2012 Summer 2012
Collect Analyze
Endline Data
Data