PA22176, SBIR, Phase I, Mercato Thriving Communities Healthy Food Access Initiative

抽象的。长期得不到健康食品资源的居民肥胖的风险更大 以及发展与肥胖相关的慢性病。这些疾病包括糖尿病，几种癌症， 心血管疾病、高血压和骨关节炎，这些疾病会降低寿命和生活质量 占每年医疗保健总支出的10%。不幸的是，虽然许多团体都有 建议改变人们购买食物的地方，以增加人们的能力和动力 要购买负担得起的、高质量的、更健康的食品，选择有限。我们寻求实现一种‘循环’，让人们 能够轻松获得健康、符合文化习惯的食品，能够轻松兑换SNAP和其他 公共/私人食品福利，创造就业机会，杂货店可以继续经营，美元在当地流通 社区。我们的方法将通过现有的电子商务和本地交付平台实现 为全国数千家独立杂货商提供提供服务的技术工具 以及与当地一家非营利性组织的合作伙伴关系，该组织拥有向 服务不足的人群。目标包括(I)准备、教育和使独立杂货商能够提供和 通过多种支付手段在服务不足、缺乏途径的地区提供健康食品；以及 服务不足人群的成员能够在网上轻松获得健康食品选择，使健康 购买食品杂货，并将这些购买的商品送货上门，以改善获得健康食品的机会。这 该项目将提供一个框架，将在第二阶段扩展和完善到其他社区，以抗击 在服务不足的社区中，获得健康食品的差距及其相关的负面健康影响。

Abstract. Residents with a chronic lack of access to healthy food resources are at greater risk of being obese and developing obesity related chronic diseases. These diseases include diabetes, several types of cancers, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and osteoarthritis which can decrease longevity and quality of life and represent >10% of total health care expenditures annually. Unfortunately, while many groups have recommended making changes to places where people shop for food to increase people’s ability and motivation to purchase affordable and quality healthier food limited options exist. We seek to enable a ‘loop’ where people have easy access to healthy, culturally appropriate foods, are able to easily redeem SNAP and other public/private food benefits, jobs are created, grocers can remain in business and dollars circulate in local communities. Our approach will be achieved with an existing eCommerce and local delivery platform that provides thousands of independent grocers across the country with the technological tools to provide services and a partnership with a local nonprofit with the experience and expertise in providing healthy foods to underserved populations. Aims include (i) Prepare, educate, and enable independent grocers to provide and deliver healthy food in underserved areas with a lack of access via multiple means of payment; and (ii) Enable members of underserved populations the ability to easily access healthy food options online, make healthy grocery purchases, and have these purchases delivered to their homes to improve healthy food access. This project will provide a framework to be expanded and refined in Phase II to other neighborhoods to combat the disparities of healthy food access and the associated negative health effects in underserved communities.