Kids Lured By Corner Stores On Morning Commute

I believe it. That's why I proposed Gram Shop Acts years ago.

"In most cities, the corner store, with its chips, soda and candy, is ubiquitous. Convenient for the neighborhood residents, but also researchers are discovering, a major snack source for school age children.

Researchers from Temple University and The Food Trust recently examined the eating habits of urban children before and after school as part of a larger project to make corner store snacks healthier. Their findings were presented at The Obesity Society's annual scientific meeting on Saturday, October 4, 2008.

'We realized that a majority of kids were eating and drinking on their way to and from school and that the corner stores were playing a big role,' said lead researcher Stephanie Vander Veur, MPH, director of clinical research at Temple University's Center for Obesity Research and Education...

That's why Temple and The Food Trust are working on the Corner Store project.

'We're teaching children about making healthier choices in schools, using social marketing to reinforce nutrition information, giving students the opportunity to be advocates for healthier choices in their own communities and working with store owners to stock fresh fruit and other healthy snacks for youngsters to buy,' said Sandy Sherman of The Food Trust. 'By involving kids in the process, we're ensuring that the messages really appeal to kids.'"

But their approach, the Corner Store project, will never work.