Doing well by doing good? A supermarket shuttle feasibility study.
OBJECTIVE
Creating a more healthful food environment requires a new line of research that examines the impact of healthful changes on business's bottom line. This study investigates whether supermarket-sponsored shuttles can be self-supporting or make a profit in low-income urban areas.


METHODS
2000 Census data were used to identify zip codes in California with low income, low vehicle ownership, and high population density to identify potential markets for shuttle programs. The breakeven point was calculated for a hypothetical shuttle program operating in these zip codes.


METHODS
Breakeven point in the number of months of shuttle operation.


METHODS
Breakeven analysis.


RESULTS
Sixty-seven zip codes met the criteria for inclusion in the study. A supermarket shuttle program would break even in most zip codes if 10% of households without a car used the shuttle. If 15% used the shuttle, shuttle programs in all zip codes would make a profit.


CONCLUSIONS
A shuttle program could be self-supporting in all 67 zip codes.


CONCLUSIONS
Those interested in changing the food environment to support a healthful diet could use this information to share with supermarket executives and other key decision makers.
Cassady
Diana
D
Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California at Davis, Davis, California 95616, USA. dlcassady@ucdvis.edu
Mohan
Vidhya
V
D002140:California; D003132:Commerce / Q000191:economics*; D004463:Ecology; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D019649:Food Industry / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D011203:Poverty; D017062:Small-Area Analysis; D012931:Social Environment; D014186:Transportation / Q000191:economics* / Q000379:methods; D014505:Urban Population