Grocery Retail for All Summit Sparks Conversations to Boost Food Access, Security
At the Grocery Retail for All Summit, an invitation-only conference held on Dec. 13 by Food Systems for the Future and The Global Food Institute (GFI) at the George Washington University, the emphasis was on finding solutions to the ongoing issues of lack of access to healthy fresh food and of food insecurity in what have come to be known as food deserts. To that end, as GFI Executive Director Stacy Dean noted when kicking off the event, speakers would highlight successes in this area and how they might be replicated, as well as important policies to explore. The other distinguished introductory speakers were Ertharin Cousin, CEO and managing director of Food Systems for the Future, and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack.
Beyond the Store
As might be expected from the summit’s name, the retail sector loomed large in the action-packed agenda, beginning with a keynote address by Leslie G. Sarasin, president and CEO of FMI – The Food Industry Association. Observing in her remarks that “a store must be economically viable to succeed over time,” Sarasin asserted that “we’ve expanded our thinking beyond 75,000-square-foot brick-and-mortar solutions to explore new answers to the issue of better serving underserved areas. We’re experimenting with smaller-footprint, limited-assortment stores – in both rural and urban settings – but we think online ordering and grocery delivery show the most promise.”
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Added Sarasin: “The instigation of online SNAP benefits is a move in the right direction toward improving food access and will get better with time. … This is an evolving and improving realm, but one that I think has distinct promise.”
No One Should Go Hungry
Additional notable contributions from retailers past and present included a panel on community and independent grocery leaders, during which Aaron “AJ” Johnson, owner and CEO of Tulsa, Okla.-based Oasis Fresh Market (and the recent recipient of a Progressive Grocer Impact Award), advised that “relationships are the greatest currency you can have” in getting a small-format grocery store up and running. Meanwhile, among the larger players, former Stop & Shop President Gordon Reid and Dollar General VP, Public Policy and Government Relations Steve Brophy discussed their companies’ respective efforts to “make the healthier choice the easier choice.” Also, retired Albertsons executive Larry Stablein moderated a panel on cultivating with nonprofits and governmental programs the kinds of partnerships that can help widen food access.
Among the several “speed talks” offered during the summit, one that particularly stood out was by Mike Servello, founder and CEO of Compassion Coalition. The nonprofit operates two Bargain Grocery stores, one each in Utica and Troy, N.Y., where a $100 basket is equivalent to $438 in national average prices. The original goal was quite simple, according to Servello: “No one goes hungry in Utica.” In the organization’s stores, customers can shop with a sense of dignity at discounted prices – ice cream always costs just $1 – amid “the palpable presence of love.”
Other sessions dealt with how physical environment influences behavior, the role of trading partners, opportunities for policy, and successful investment models, but the main takeaway from the day was that there is no one-size-fits-all method of boosting food access and security, and that all stakeholders can play a meaningful part. As Cousin urged in the final session of the day, aptly titled “Where Do We Go From Here?,” in which she was joined by Dean and Stephanie Johnson, VP, government relations at the National Grocers Association, the connections forged at the summit must continue: “This work can’t stop.”
