• By Katie Hiatt
• Posted Friday, November 15, 2024

Forsyth County Achieves Tenth Certified Healthy Corner Store

In a vibrant push towards wellness and accessibility, Forsyth County is proud to announce the accomplishment of ten Certified Healthy Corner Stores, each standing as a lifeline in food deserts throughout the area. These corner stores are not merely retail outlets; they represent a transformative effort to ensure that every resident, regardless of their circumstances, has access to fresh and affordable foods.

Food deserts are areas where it is difficult to access and/or affordably purchase healthy foods. Many people located in food deserts are of a lower socioeconomic status and don't have access to a vehicle to drive to a grocery store. They are then forced to visit local convenience or corner stores for food. These stores don't often offer healthy foods, resulting in residents eating a lot of processed and low-health foods. This poor diet contributes to the burden of chronic diseases including but not limited to hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. According to the 2018 Food Research and Action Center report, Winston-Salem has 21 food deserts and is ranked 7th on the national list for food hardship.

Katie Hiatt leads the Healthy Communities program within the Health Promotion Disease Prevention team at the Forsyth County Department of Public Health. The Forsyth County Healthy Corner Store Network initiative works by credentialing stores that agree to carry healthy food items. To be a "Certified Healthy Store," a store must carry a variety of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, proteins, low-fat or skim milk, and bottled water. The store must always stock a variety of three to four products within each category. The items must also have a reduced amount of sodium or sugar if they are in a packaged form. Once the store carries all required products, Katie applies the store to Eat Smart Move More NC. Stores that are approved will then receive a certificate and door sticker that they may display on the property. In order to be considered for the Healthy Corner Store designation, a store must be located within a food desert, accept WIC and SNAP/EBT, and be under 3,000 square feet.

Healthy Communities maintains several garden beds located at Happy Hill Community Garden. The beds house a variety of fall plants including carrots, radishes, broccoli, brussels sprouts, and kohlrabi. The produce is then donated to Certified Healthy Corner Stores throughout the county through a program called Take What You Need. The donation of this free produce allows residents to have increased access to fresh, nutritious food. Citizens don't have to worry about wasting their money on a new vegetable they may or may not like, which often deters them from trying something new. Storeowners have decided to help with this mission by moving some of their own surplus produce into the free basket as well.

Over 400 pounds of produce has been grown and donated to stores within food deserts since Summer 2023. Katie hopes that this initiative will increase healthy habits of Winston-Salem food desert residents and reduce the burden of chronic disease. Healthy Communities received certification for two more Healthy Corner Stores in November 2024. The first store is named Mata Grocery and is located at 5137 Old Rural Hall Rd, Winston-Salem, NC 27105. The second store is named Tienda Hispana Salmar and is located at 1351 Lockland Ave, Winston-Salem, NC 27103. The full list of stores can be found below. If you are a storeowner interested in the program, please email Katie at hiattkj@forsyth.cc.

• Los Primos Meat Market (640 E Monmouth Street Winston-Salem, NC 27107)
• El Jacal II (155 Jonestown Road Winston-Salem, NC 27104)
• Tienda Latina Los Juanes (373 Jonestown Road Winston-Salem, NC 27104)
• La Victoria (321 Polo Road, Winston-Salem, NC 27105)
• Tienda Mexicana La Fe (6033 University Parkway, Winston-Salem, NC 27105)
• La Perlita Su Tienda Mexicana (815 Waughtown Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27107)
• Lindo Michoacan Tienda Hispana (2518 Lewisville Clemmons Road B., Clemmons, NC 27012)
• Titi's Convenience Store (1524 Bruce Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27102)
• Mata Grocery (5137 Old Rural Hall Road, Winston-Salem, NC 27105)
• Tienda Hispana Salmar (1351 Lockland Avenue, Winston-Salem, NC 27103)