Taking a Hard Look at Community-Based Interventions in Obesity

A policy to subsidize neighborhood supermarkets is the center of a report by Rummo et al about a New York City (NYC), New York, initiative titled Food Retail Expansion to Support Health (FRESH). Given tax and zoning incentives, FRESH supermarkets are required to have a greater proportion of their store dedicated to fresh produce and grocery products. The program aims to amplify consumers’ ability to buy affordable, healthy foods. While the FRESH program did not have any meaningful association with changes in the grocery habits of adults and children, among individuals who lived within 0.50 miles of a FRESH-subsidized supermarket, there was an increase in self-reported intake of healthy foods and decreased intake of “unhealthy foods.”