Lessons from San Francisco’s Healthy Corner Store Program

The Southeast Food Access Working Group (SEFA) is a large group of Bayview residents, community-based organizations, city agencies and others working to achieve a “vibrant and robust food system for all Bayview-Hunters Point residents” by improving food access, improving diet through awareness and education, and developing community gardens.

The article details some of the partners and studies that enabled SEFA's programs, as well as news that the model has spread to other parts of the city, including where the Tenderloin Healthy Corner Store Coalition (THCSC) is working to redesign two local corner stones to a more healthy model.

Moreover, the grassroots activism of SEFA and THCSC has gained institutional support in City Hall: "Recognizing that city agencies could help support these neighborhood efforts, Supervisor Eric Mar introduced legislation in 2013 that created the Healthy Retail SF pilot initiative, which is led by the Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD) under Mayor Edwin Lee’s Invest in Neighborhoods Initiative, in conjunction with the Department of Public Health." The OEWD's "SF Shines" initiative, for example, will help corner stores making the transition to more healthy options in acquiring tools for rebranding and signage.