Journal article
Application of free-listing in identifying desirable foods and their accessibility in an urban nonprofit supermarket
JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE FOOD SYSTEMS AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, v 10(2), pp 473-488
2021
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
There is a gap in the literature regarding the specific methods used by supermarkets to engage community members in operations and decision-making processes. Free-listing is an engagement method that allows individuals to list all possible items associated with a particular topic or domain. This study explores the application of free-listing as a method to assess the availability and affordability of food items at DMG Foods, a nonprofit super-market in Baltimore, Maryland, to assist with making stocking decisions and increasing store use. Twenty residents in central northeast Baltimore participated in free-listing desirable foods and frequented supermarkets. All selected participants were over 18 years of age, Black, and regularly shopped in the central northeast region of Baltimore. We calculated the saliency of food items and stores based on an item's frequency and order of mention in the free-listing. We then conducted store observations of the top salient stores three times at three-week intervals to identify the availability and accessibility of the top salient food items. Fifteen items had saliency scores greater than 0.1 and were retained for observation. Five stores had saliency scores greater than 0.1 and were within a five-mile (8-km) radius from DMG Foods. Larger supermarkets carried the widest variety of salient items, and the prices of items varied between stores, highlighting the importance of community-driven stocking for smaller supermarkets. Free-listing is a simple engagement method that store managers with limited research experience can use to identify foods that are desirable to residents of the community, ultimately leading to improved community food environments and increased store success.
Metrics
Details
- Title
- Application of free-listing in identifying desirable foods and their accessibility in an urban nonprofit supermarket
- Publication Details
- JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE FOOD SYSTEMS AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, v 10(2), pp 473-488
- Publisher
- LYSON CENTER CIVIC AGRICULTURE & FOOD SYSTEMS; ITHACA
- Number of pages
- 15
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Drexel University
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000648659700039
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85120443905
- Other Identifier
- 991021860660204721
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
This publication has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:
InCites Highlights
Data related to this publication, from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool:
- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Agricultural Economics & Policy
- Development Studies