Community Interest in Bringing Local Foods to Downtown DaytonAlex NealKatie LiutkusKelly Miller

SEE 402 2013

Historical Information Dayton pre-1950s: Thriving city Contributed to the industrial war efforts, increasing the

economy significantly Post War: suburban growth and urban sprawl inner cities lost population and businesses Donuting effect Abandonment in the city as population and wealth

move out Many storefront areas exist Downtown that are waiting to be utilized

Food Desert Low availability for healthy foods in the heart of the city Public Health concern for food access

Food Deserts According to the USDA, “low-income communities without ready access to healthy and affordable food.”1

Based on income and access criteria There are many competing definitions of Food Deserts, but for purposes of this study, we define it as a lower-income area with the lack of access to healthy and affordable food within the living area

Greater Downtown Dayton’s census tracks, along with all adjacent tracks, are designated as ‘food deserts’ by USDA-- .5 mile tolerance2

1 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE2 FOOD ACCESS RESEARCH ATLAS

Dayton AreaUSDA FOOD ACCESS RESEARCH ATLAS

Dayton Area: low-income & low- access at .5 mile tolerance

USDA FOOD ACCESS RESEARCH ATLAS

Implications of Food Deserts Low-cost, high sugar/fat content foods are readily available

Healthy foods like vegetables are more expensive and less available to residents

The poor are more susceptible to these conditions Lead to obesity, diabetes, and other preventable health conditions

Only 22% of Montgomery County adults and children meet the daily recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables

Obesity Overweight and obesity are the result of “caloric imbalance”—too few calories expended for the amount of calories consumed—and are affected by various genetic, behavioral, and environmental factors.1

Childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and tripled in adolescents in the past 30 years. 1

Montgomery County is ranked 74th of 88 counties in Ohio for Health Outcomes (Mortality and Morbidity) 2

38% of Montgomery County adults are overweight, another 30% are obese 3

25% of 3rd graders are obese, and 17% are overweight in Montgomery County4

1 CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL2 COUNTY HEALTH RANKINGS3 MONTGOMERY COUNTY HEALTH ASSESSMENT 20104 2008 PRC CHILD HEALTH ASSESSMENT

County-level Estimates of

Obesity among

Adults aged ≥ 20 years: Ohio 2009

CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL

Diabetes Positively correlated with obesity, fat and protein intake Most common form is Type II Adult-Onset Undiagnosed or untreated Type II diabetes may lead to: Heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, lower-

extremity amputations Diabetes - the seventh leading cause of death in the

United States. Because Montgomery County has an obesity epidemic, we can assume that Diabetes is also of concern

CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL

County-level Estimates of

Diabetes among

Adults aged ≥ 20 years: Ohio 2009

CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL

Why should we be concerned? It is recognized by the UDHR that “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food…”1

All people ought to have access to healthy and affordable food.

If we have the means to provide all people with healthy food then we ought to implement those means.

Given the option of buying local, we ought to support the local economy.

Public Health Concern Significant section of the Dayton population is not getting

the right types of foods and is getting sick Preventable

1 THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS

Issue with Downtown Dayton’s Market Based on the West Dayton Market Study performed by Dr. Stock at UD, we have concluded the following:

Full blown grocery store is not economically feasible in Downtown Dayton

There is a multitude of factors influencing purchasing decisions about food

Suggested Solution This is a preventable issue: Bring local food to Downtown Dayton Make it easily accessible for low income areas Provide healthier options that are affordable Our study shows that a Food Cooperative or Non-Profit Local Food Distribution center is feasible.

What is a Food Cooperative? Collectively owned and managed food market put in place in order to fulfill the needs of the community

Purposefully ambiguous - survey is intended to help shape the structure of a future food cooperative

“A co-op is an organization that takes the idea of working together and puts it into a business structure. A cooperative is a business voluntarily owned and controlled by the people who use it—its members. It is operated solely for the benefit of its members, to meet their mutual needs.”1

1 HOW TO START A FOOD CO-OP

Purpose of Our Study Determine community interest in having a food co-op or nonprofit market in Downtown Dayton

Gauge relevant information in order to determine a model that will meet the interests and needs of Dayton residents and shoppers

Begin to determine economic feasibility

Statement of HypothesisThere is a sufficient amount of community interest in the Downtown Dayton area to support a food co-op. We also predict there will be a significant level of interest in participants willing to engage in some way as members of a food cooperative.

Limitations Only small component of a large scale feasibility study

Does not provide market analysis Only surveyed for community interest, not vendor support/interest

Unable to reach low-income population Possible participant bias

Methodology Creation of a survey that measured the following:

Demographic information about participantsCurrent grocery shopping habitsPerceptions about food purchasing Overall interest in local foodsInterest in a Food Cooperative

Sampling Procedure Survey was distributed to a wide variety of places including:Dayton organizations (DDP, Generation Dayton, etc.)Local government (Mayor, Commissioners)Businesses & restaurants in the Downtown areaPosted on Facebook and TwitterFlyers printed with a QR code for smartphone access

Survey was also circulated secondhand throughout the community

Accomplishments In the three weeks the survey was open, we had 542 responses!

Survey was distributed through e-mail, flyer, and Facebook

Respondents also passed it along and reposted Respondents left helpful comments and suggestions

Received e-mails from potential suppliers, supporters (including the Dean of Arts and Sciences), and Fox 45!

Survey ResultsFive Parts: 1. Demographic Information 2. Current Food Information3. Perceptions of Food Purchases 4. Interest in Local Foods5. Interest in Food Cooperative

Which best describes where you live?

Downto

wn Day

ton

Innerw

est

South

west

South

east

Northe

ast

F.R.O.C.

Northw

est

Subu

rbs0.0%5.0%

10.0%15.0%20.0%25.0%30.0%35.0%40.0%45.0%

42.1%

1.5% 3.4%

17.5%

5.6%2.3%

4.5%

24.4%

Household Income and Education

$0-$19,000

$19,000-$40,000

$40,000-$60,000

$60,000-$80,000

$80,000+

0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0%

8.6%

19.4%

21.8%

20.1%

30.1%

All Respondents

1%11%9%

34%

31%

14%

Some High SchoolHigh School DiplomaSome College2-Year Degree4-Year DegreeMaster'sAbove

Association with Downtown Dayton

Resident Employee Frequent Visitor0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

48.7%

36.8%

62.4%

Current Shopping Locations (ALL)

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

51.0%

38.5%

52.3%47.1%

17.3%

56.2%

10.6%

46.2%

41% - Other Kroger

Locations30% - Meijer

Primary Shopping Location

2nd Street Market

Kroger (Wayne)

Kroger (Kettering)

Dorothy Lane Market

Walmart

Trader Joes

CSA

Other (please specify)

1.7%

13.8%

29.2%

8.3%

5.4%

9.0%

0.2%

32.3%All Respondents

2nd Street Market

Kroger (Kettering)

Walmart

CSA

0.0% 5.0% 10.0% 15.0% 20.0% 25.0% 30.0%1.8%

24.0%28.4%

13.3%4.9%

11.1%0.0%

16.4%

Downtown Dayton Res-idents

51% - Other Kroger Location23% - Meijer

Distance to Grocery

less than 1 mile

1-5 miles 5-10miles over 10 miles0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

9.4%

55.0%

31.3%

4.2%

Household Grocery Spending in an Average WeekAVERAGE HOUSEHOLD GROCERY SPENDING

13%

41%32%

10%5%

less than $50

$50-$100

$100-$150

$150-$200

over $200

HOUSEHOLD SIZE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 over 80.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

35.0%

40.0%

45.0%

28.5%

40.8%

14.0%11.3%

3.5%1.0% 0.6% 0.4%

Important Factors in Purchasing Food

0.0%10.0%20.0%30.0%40.0%50.0%60.0%70.0%

59.1%54.4%

32.9%

8.3%

65.3%

30.6% 27.8%

6.0% 6.7% 2.6% 6.3%

Interest in a Co-OpALL RESPONDENTS

44%

46%

10%

Yes Not sure (maybe)

No

DOWNTOWN DAYTON RESIDENTS

49%42%

9%

YesNot sure (maybe)No

Willingness to Involve

Volunteer Volunteer if I got a discount

Willing to invest my time in the coopera-

tive

Willing to loan money to the co-

operative

Willing to invest money in the co-

operative

35.7%

58.7%

41.9%

10.9%

26.1%

Trends vast majority travel between 1-10 miles for groceries

most have not participated in CSA before, but have purchased from local food producer directly (probably because of 2nd street)

Important purchasing factors location, price, variety, availability of fresh

produce

Trends most feel they pay fair price for current groceries most "satisfied" with quality of primary store where they shop

items seeking: fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy, finished products and more (eggs, spices, sauces, flowers, herbs, honey, juice, coffee)

Conclusions A one sample t-test was performed: we are 99% confident that there is sufficient

interest in a food cooperative for Downtown Dayton

Willingness to participate and support Large sample size increases confidence in results Based on current trends of travel and food purchases, interest in participation, and overwhelming positive feedback, we conclude that there is an sufficient amount of interest to support a food cooperative.

Further Steps Full Feasibility Study Re-survey to reach and determine needs of low-income residents

Increase education of Downtown Dayton of what a food cooperative is

Start a group of interested members Work with existing groups downtown, Activated Spaces, etc. to get started

Pass on to UD faculty to continue research and implementation

Acknowledgements

UD SEE InitiativeJohn JonesActivated SpacesGeneration DaytonTim DownsFlyer ConsultingRichard StockStephen HallStone’s Throw Food Co-OpA Future Downtown Dayton

Facebook PageDavid HurwitzDowntown Dayton PartnershipSuzanne WasniakUpDayton

And anyone else who assisted in distributing this survey!

We’d like to thank the following people and organizations for their support for this project:

Questions?