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Down on the corner

If you live in Baton Rouge, you’ve probably noticed the paucity of small, independent grocery stores in the city. According to a recent report by The East Baton Rouge Food Access Policy Commission, roughly 20% of the parish population lives in areas with unusually low access to supermarkets, also referred to as “food deserts.”

Studies show that residents of such areas are disproportionately obese and more likely to be diagnosed with diet-related diseases. In a recent report, the EBR Food Access Policy Commission linked the underdevelopment of Baton Rouge’s local economies to the absence of accessible supermarkets in key neighborhoods. According to the commission, closing the “grocery gap” would yield obvious economic benefits in these regions.

Recently, a grant program emerged to address Baton Rouge’s grocery store problem. Sponsored jointly by Together Baton Rouge and the Mayor’s Healthy City Program, the Healthy Corner Store Initiative (HCSI) is working with local businesses to improve access to healthy food. The HCSI identified six corner stores in affected areas as potential participants. The plan, according to Edgar Cage, co-chairman of the Together Baton Rouge Food Research Action Team, is to model the initiative after what other cities and areas have done. “Those that have been successful,” Cage says, “are public-private partnerships.”

Of the six stores selected, four have agreed to participate: Spanish Town Market, Beechwood Meat Market, Sewell’s Grocery, and Kelly’s Food Mart. As participants, each store has received nearly $15,000 in additional resources, which includes new storage containers and improved cash register equipment. The aim is to help grocers provide access to healthier foods such as fresh produce.

Taylor Blanche, one of the co-owners of Spanish Town Market, was eager to participate in the program. “We’re a small store,” Blanche says, “and the HCSI has helped us bring our building up to code, order new equipment, and now we can offer healthier options at fairer prices.”

While the HCSI is an important first step toward solving the city’s food problem, a shortage of affordable options in several neighborhoods remains. And in areas where options do exist, public transportation is often lacking. The commission wants the city partner with the Capital Area Transit System (CATS) to create a “grocery express,” designed to transport residents from their local community to participating grocery stores.

Although the RDA has yet to engage CATS about implementing the express system, Susannah Bing, Director of Finance and Economic Development at the RDA, says her organization fully supports the idea. Bing says the HCSI will “ensure that these store owners have everything they need to continue to sell fresh produce long after the grant period expires.”

Beachwood Meat Market
4850 Beechwood Dr.
225-355-4030

Kelly’s Food Mart
7744 Plank Rd, Baton Rouge, LA 70811
225-357-1588

Sewell’s Community Grocery
469 Elmer Ave.
225-774-7336

Spanish Town Market
701 Spanish Town Rd.
capitolgrocery.com