The Virtual Supermarket Project
In the modern American city, it is easier to find a BigMac and soda than to buy a banana and skim milk. These zones are food deserts, defined as regions in which people experience geographical or financial barriers to acquiring healthy food. The price of healthy staples, if available, is 20% higher in urban corner stores than a full-service supermarket, and healthy meals cost 30% more to make. In a world where 50% of disease is linked to poor diet, food is also medicine.
The mission of the Virtual Supermarket Project is to transform urban food deserts into neighborhoods that enjoy convenient, rapid access to affordable, healthy food. The Virtual Supermarket Project will achieve this transformation by partnering with urban community groups to enable pooled purchasing and same-day supermarket delivery to a single neighborhood point.
The four primary objectives of The Virtual Supermarket Project are:
- To select industry partners to deliver to pooled purchase sites throughout a city;
- To identify community groups to partner with in underserved neighborhoods;
- To initiate pilot projects at multiple sites in cities throughout Baltimore;
- To collect data on type and number of participants, range of food purchases, changes over time, and net receipts at the Virtual Supermarket in underserved neighborhoods.
Program Design and Implementation
The Virtual Supermarket Project is currently located in the Baltimore City Health Department Office of the Commissioner. The program is designed to broker a common delivery point in underserved urban neighborhoods that are within the catchment area of existing supermarket delivery services. It will remove barriers to Internet purchasing by providing an Internet connection and credit card to guarantee the purchase.
The Project has three steps. First, in each community underserved by the supermarket industry, the Project will initiate a partnership with a grocer who agrees to deliver several unique orders to one delivery location. The grocer will charge one delivery fee on the aggregate order, or will waive the delivery fee if the order is large enough to merit a waiver. The grocer will treat low-income neighborhoods that register large aggregate orders as they would any large order emerging from the city; it will be delivered within one business day of the order, 7 days a week.
Second, the Virtual Supermarket Project will initiate relationships with community organizations in underserved communities to serve as the common order and delivery point for groceries. Residents will be expected to pick up their groceries at the common delivery site within one hour of the designated time. If arranged in advance, the Virtual Supermarket Project will consent to deliver from the common purchase point to individual addresses close to the common delivery point. The Project will engage community partners through agreements in which the Virtual Supermarket Project is permitted to locate and operate freely in the organization’s space at designated order and drop-off time periods. Via contracts, the Virtual Supermarket essentially will set-up and break down a ‘virtual storefront’ several times throughout the week in underserved communities.
Finally, the Virtual Supermarket Project will facilitate individual orders and collect payment at the point of sale. Consumers are free to pay with cash, credit card, debit card, or food stamps. The Virtual Supermarket Project will be equipped to accept food stamps at pooled purchasing sites. All purchases will be paid for when order is placed.
The Virtual Supermarket Project initiated its first partnership in Baltimore City in spring of 2009.
Childhood Obesity in Baltimore City: Assessment and Recommendations to the Baltimore City Health Commissioner. Prepared by Kavita Choundhry and Hedieh Rahmanou, June 2007, JFK School of Government, Harvard University. Submitted to: Sarah Norman, Baltimore City Health Department.
Contact:
Pooja Aggarwal
pooja.aggarwal@baltimorecity.gov
410-545-7544
Catherine Chamberlain
cat.chamberlain@baltimorecity.gov
410-396-6903
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