Editor's note: Table and map, and photo of Diana Cassady available online at:
http:www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/newsroom/releases/archives/other/2005/grocery_full.html

Grand "re-opening" ceremony Nov. 6 will introduce neighbors to thehealthier market.

Del Paso Heights, a neighborhood of about 35,000 people in northwest Sacramento, has no chain supermarkets. One in 10 households has no car, one in five is on public assistance and one in four receives food stamps. All of which makes Jimmy's Deli and Market, one of two independently owned grocery stores in the neighborhood, the source of most or all of the food on many Del Paso Heights tables.

Now, thanks to a UC Davis project funded by a grant from the California Cancer Research Program, the produce selection at Jimmy's has expanded beyond potatoes and onions to include such fresh local fare as broccoli and bok choy, celery and cilantro, pears and persimmons. A "grand re-opening" celebration from noon to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 6, will introduce the community to the store's new format.

"This is an experiment to see if making healthier foods more available will lead to a healthier diet among the residents of this neighborhood," said study director Diana Cassady, an assistant professor of public health sciences at UC Davis.

"There is a wealth of research showing that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is protective against certain cancers and other leading causes
of death in this country, including heart disease. But it's hard for people to make healthy food choices when it's nearly impossible for them to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables."

To transform Jimmy's, Cassady provided the store's owner, Ker Wu, with a refrigerated display case and 40 additional linear feet of space for produce. The project also brought in consultant Nathan Chang, former owner of Nathan's Produce in Berkeley, who met with Wu every other week for four months to help him optimize the store's layout and coach him in sales and marketing. The project also provided money for new paint to spruce up the store's façade. In return, Wu will provide Cassady with sales data.

Cassady has a $750,000 grant from the California Cancer Research Program to improve the health of inner-city communities by improving access to healthy foods. About $25,000 in grant money has been invested in Jimmy's market improvements and consultant fees. The grant is also funding Cassady's work with restaurants in Los Angeles to include healthier menu choices.

"This is a good program for the neighborhood and the community. It is healthy for people," said Wu, 41, who immigrated to the United States from a Hmong refugee camp in Thailand 20 years ago. To save the money to buy Jimmy's, Wu worked 10-hour days, six days a week as an electronics technician. His wife worked 40 hours a week sewing curtains. The couple took ownership of the 2,600-square-foot store on May 4. They will run the store together, helped eventually by their four children, now ranging in age from 4 to 9.

Some research suggests that access to healthier foods is associated with consumption of healthy foods. For instance, a University of Washington study found that people who live near supermarkets that sell low-fat milk and whole-wheat bread are significantly more likely to purchase those healthy choices. Conversely, a University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill study showed that people who live father from supermarkets are likely to consume fewer servings of fruits and vegetables.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005 recommend that people consume 4.5 cups of fruit and vegetables each day.

The "grocery gap" in low-income urban neighborhoods has long been of concern to public health experts. A 1995 study of 21 major metropolitan areas nationwide conducted by researchers at the University of Connecticut found a third as many supermarkets in low-income areas compared with high-income areas. A 2003 study by the Center for Food and Justice at Occidental College found three times more supermarkets per capita in high-income Los Angeles neighborhoods compared with low-income areas.

"For residents without cars, the situation is especially tough," Cassady said. "Families who do not own cars must rely on the bus or shared rides to travel to another part of town to find a supermarket, or buy groceries at small neighborhood stores that may offer a poorer selection at a higher price."

Wu plans to offer his customers a wide selection of fruits and vegetables at a competitive price. In addition to purchasing from traditional
wholesale produce markets, Wu is also buying from local Hmong farmers. "A bunch of Chinese mustard greens costs me $3 at the wholesale market," he said. "I just bought a bunch from a Hmong farmer, who uses no chemicals,for $1. My produce prices are very good."

UC Davis Cancer Center is the only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center serving the Central Valley and inland Northern California, a region the size of Pennsylvania. Its Outreach Research and Education Program works to eliminate ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in cancer regionwide.