Walsh_Food Access and Insecurity_2015

Effective Marketing Strategies to Combat Food Insecurity and Improve Food Access in New

York’s Capital Region

Candidate, Masters of Sustainable Food Systems, Green Mountain College, 2015

Table of ContentsExecutive Summary.....................................................................................................................................3

Situation Analysis........................................................................................................................................4

National Overview of Food Access and Insecurity...................................................................................4

Overview of Food Access and Insecurity in New York State and the Capital Region...............................6

Background of Capital Roots and the Virtual Veggie Mobile...................................................................7

Trends in Food Procurement and Potential Competition to the VVM.....................................................8

Customer Segments..................................................................................................................................10

Immigrant and Ethnic Minority Populations..........................................................................................11

Children.................................................................................................................................................12

Marketing Objectives................................................................................................................................13

Create Marketing Materials Aimed at Non-English Speaking, Multicultural Customers........................13

Increase Social Media Presence and Increase Interactivity...................................................................14

Increase Visibility in Schools and Childcare Centers..............................................................................16

Marketing Strategy and Activities..............................................................................................................16

Community Ambassadors......................................................................................................................17

Become an Ally to Individuals and Organizations..................................................................................17

Well-Planned Social Media Campaign...................................................................................................18

Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................20

Appendices................................................................................................................................................21

Tables....................................................................................................................................................21

Table 1: 2014 Federal Poverty Guidelines for the Contiguous United States....................................21

Figures...................................................................................................................................................22

Figure 1: Percent of Food Insecure Households in US 2007-2011.....................................................22

Figure 2: Percent of Food Insecure Households in the Capital Region 2007-2011............................22

Figure 3: Food Insecurity by Income Level.........................................................................................23

Figure 4: Farmers Market Directory Listings......................................................................................23

Figure 5: Percentage of Children in Capital Region, by City and County............................................24

Figure 6: Percentage of Cell Users who Access Email and Internet on their Phones.........................24

Maps......................................................................................................................................................25

Map 1: Albany and Rensselaer County Food Deserts 2010...............................................................25

Map 2: Albany and Rensselaer Food Deserts 2014............................................................................25

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Map 3: Schenectady Food Deserts 2010............................................................................................26

Map 4: Schenectady Food Deserts 2014............................................................................................26

Map 5: Albany and Rensselaer Veggie Mobile Stops.........................................................................27

Map 6: Schenectady Veggie Mobile Stops.........................................................................................27

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Executive Summary

This report supports the marketing plan for Capital Roots’ Virtual Veggie Mobile and is the Capstone Project in partial fulfillment of a Master’s degree in Sustainable Food Systems (MSFS), Green Mountain College, Poultney, Vermont. An effective marketing plan can be used by Capital Roots to increase food access to vulnerable populations in the Capital Region of New York. Food access in the Capital Region of New York is examined and compared with data at the state and national level. Overall, there is a smaller percentage of individuals facing food insecurity in the region, however, those most affected have, on average, higher incomes than individuals facing food security at the state and national level. Nearly half (48%) of residents faced with food insecurity in the Capital Region have incomes 185% of the poverty level meaning they do not qualify for SNAP or other nutrition programs. The national and state averages are 29% and 36%, respectively. Thus, food insecurity in the Capital Region is fundamentally different from that of the state and the nation and a different approach is needed to combat food access issues. Additionally, immigrant and non-English speaking communities, especially Hispanic populations from Mexico and Central America who, after controlling for many factors, are 60% more likely to face food insecurity than white non-Hispanics. In a phenomenon known as the “immigrant health paradox” the longer an individual or family remains in the United States, the less likely they are to have access to and consume healthful foods. Children subjected to food insecurity and poor eating habits at a young age are likely to continue these habits into adulthood, which can lead to type II diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers. Based on these findings this report and the accompanying marketing plan set out goals and objectives, as well as specific strategies that can be taken by Virtual Markets, such as Capital Roots’ Virtual Veggie Market, to help address the issue of food access. In order to reach the target markets of immigrant populations and children, within low-income communities the following goals were recommended:

Increase social media presence and narrow focus, Develop bilingual marketing, and Build and deepen relationships with new and existing childcare centers.

This report provides the documentation to support the recommendations made in the accompanying Marketing Plan for Capital Roots’ Virtual Veggie Mobile 2015. Information in this report comes from a review of scholarly journals, discussions with clients and potential clients, as well as insight into the marketing strategies of organizations and initiatives similar to Capital Roots and the Virtual Veggie Mobile.

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Situation Analysis

National Overview of Food Access and Insecurity

In addressing the issues of food access and food insecurity it is helpful to have a clear understanding of the distinction between two phrases. Food access refers to one’s ability to obtain healthful food in a convenient manner. Those without adequate food access are often said to reside in food deserts1 or areas that lack access to affordable, nutritious, and culturally appropriate foods.2 People who reside in food deserts may need to rely on less healthy food items available at convenience stores, or travel farther to acquire food. The first scenario can lead to poor dietary choices, ultimately leading to diet related diseases while the second scenario puts an undue burden on residents of the community, especially the poor. The term ‘food desert,’ although lacking a universal definition, has come to refer to areas with inadequate access to fresh fruits and vegetables.3,4 The USDA has defined a food desert as, “urban neighborhoods and rural towns without ready access to fresh, healthy, and affordable food.”5 Furthermore, food deserts are located in areas designated as both a low-income community and a low-access community. A low-income community being defined as having either a poverty rate of 20% or higher, or a median income at or below 80% of the area’s median family income. Low-access is defined as community, which at least 500 residents and/or at least 33% of the census tract’s population lives more than one mile, in urban areas, or 10 miles, in rural areas, from a supermarket or large grocery store.6 These areas are delineated by census tract and lack supermarkets and grocery stores. These areas may have no food access or are served only by convenience stores and fast food outlets.7 The USDA’s Economic Research Service estimates that 23.5 million people live in food deserts, more than half of which (13.5 million) are low-income.8

Food security adds a dimension of affordability to the issue of food access; it is not just about a person’s ability to access healthful foods, but also affordability. Although there are varying definitions, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, at the 1996 World Food Summit, defined food security as the following: “food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for a healthy and active life.”9 While this definition is still widely used it was slightly modified in 1998 to, “food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access…”10 The social aspect is important because it addresses the concern of culturally appropriate food items, an issue, which becomes apparent when one looks at the disproportionality of food insecurity among immigrant populations. In the United States, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), operated by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), is the largest food assistance program and is aimed at increasing the food buying power of low-income Americans with the intent of improving health and nutrition.11 The 2014 Farm Bill included $489 billion in mandatory spending (with additional discretionary funds to be appropriated at a later time), of which it designated 80 percent to nutrition programs, such as SNAP. To qualify for SNAP benefits an individual or household must have a gross income 130 percent or less of the federal poverty level. For retailers to be eligible to receive SNAP benefits they must offer certain staple foods, which must make up a majority of their sales. SNAP recipients may use their benefits to purchase a food item, with the exceptions of prepared hot foods and alcohol.12 However, simply increasing an individual or household’s ability to afford food is not enough to ensure they are receiving the benefits of a healthy diet. In order to change eating habits and health, vulnerable communities must also have access to healthy food items.

Existing evidence suggests that racial and ethnic minorities, predominately African-American and Hispanic populations (especially Hispanic populations, but other immigrant populations as well, are underrepresented in SNAP benefit receipt13), low-income households, and households with children are

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more likely to face food insecurity.14 Poor access to healthy foods puts these citizens at an elevated risk of an unhealthy diet.15,16,17 , which has a strong link to type II diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers.18 First Lady Michelle Obama has made it the mission of her tenure to bring awareness to the issue of healthy food access and childhood obesity through the ‘Let’s Move Campaign’ and the ‘Healthy Food Financing Initiative.’ In July 2011, as part of these campaigns, her office announced a nationwide effort to improve food access for all Americans and help make food more affordable for underserved populations. To accomplish her goal she partnered with several national chains including SUPERVALU, Walgreens, and Wal-Mart in an effort to increase the amount of fresh food available in underserved neighborhoods. The three aforementioned companies have together committed to opening or expanding 1,500 stores that serve fresh food, fruits and vegetables. Additionally, many local and regional retailers have made a commitment to increase their sales of healthy food items either through expansion or opening new locations.19

Although the work has been applauded by many, there are those who question the validity of the campaign. A recent study published in the journal Health Affairs evaluated the effects of a pilot program in Philadelphia aimed at increasing food access, through the opening or expansion of fresh food outlets, as a means of combatting obesity in the city’s food deserts. The Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative was the basis for the study, a publically and privately funded venture aimed at introducing supermarkets into underserved areas.1 In total the program has increased the amount of food outlets in the Philadelphia area by 88, improving food access to 500,000 adult and child residents. The Philadelphia study compared two neighborhoods similar in race, ethnicity, income, and demographics. One neighborhood would serve as the control neighborhood, and the other the intervention neighborhood. The study collected data from June-September 2006 using a random-directory-listed and random-digit-dialing surveys of residents in the two neighborhoods. In December 2009 a new supermarket opened in the intervention neighborhood as part of the Fresh Food Financing Initiative. Interviewers conducted follow-up surveys, in both neighborhoods, from June-November 2010. Interviewers collected data from 1,440 participants based on three outcomes: BMI, fruit and vegetable intake, and perceptions of food access. The results of this study showed that although residents experienced an increased awareness of food accessibility, there was no significant impact on BMI or fruit and vegetable consumption.20 A study of SNAP usage in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area provided evidence that mid-scale retailers like ethnic grocers, discount grocers, and food cooperatives, play a much larger role in residents’ food purchasing than do large supermarkets. As a means of increasing food access and improving health the study recommended an increase in mid-scale retailers rather than an increase in the number of large supermarkets and supercenters. The study also questioned the assumption that low-income populations are immobile, suggesting public transportation may be more widely used to access grocery stores farther away. Overall, many respondents favored quality of available food over convenience. In neighborhoods with significant immigrant populations retailers, which catered to ethnic cuisines, accounted for 54 percent of SNAP vendor redemptions.21

There is some controversy, however, as to how the USDA defines a food desert. As stated above the definition of a food dessert is based on one’s proximity to a large grocer or a supermarket. Although distinctions have been made between urban and rural census tracts, there still remains a ‘one size fits all’ approach to the methodology. New York City’s Mayor Bloomberg has remarked that according to the USDA only 26,000 people (2011) in NYC live in a food desert while other organizations have put the estimate as high as 3 million people.22 Industry standards define a supermarket as an establishment with at least $2 million in annual sales.23 An argument can be made that while healthy and unhealthy food

1 There remains little published information on the impact of retail food development in underserved areas. Prior to the Health Affairs study there were only two published studies, and they produced mixed results. The first study, in Leeds, England showed an increase in fruit and vegetable consumption, however, it lacked a control group. The second study, in Glasgow, Scotland, contained a control group and found no increase in fruit and vegetable consumption.

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choices can be made at most places non-chain grocery stores and smaller corner grocery stores do not consistently stock fresh produce and healthy items, and when they do it is less variety, of a lower quality, and usually more expensive.24,25 However, this ignores other options for accessing healthy foods such as small grocery cooperatives, farmers markets, mobile produce markets like Capital Roots’s Veggie Mobile, and healthy convenience store initiatives like Capital Roots’s Healthy Convenience Store Initiative or New York City’s Healthy Bodegas.26 By discounting these options for food access, the USDA’s definition of a food desert is creating a one-size fits all approach to solving the problem—build more supermarkets and large food retailers, like Wal-Mart the country’s largest grocery firm27 selling $132 billion worth of groceries in fiscal year 2010.28 This definition also ignores the heterogeneity of the food items sold in these stores compared to mid-sized grocers and convenience stores, which are able to offer a diversity of products, which suit the needs of their clientele.29 Based on the above definitions, many of these large grocery firms may lack the social component of food access, by not selling culturally appropriate food items in the neighborhoods they serve.

A report commissioned in 2011, by the Office of the Manhattan Borough President, Scott M. Stringer highlights some of the negative impacts a “one-size fits all” approach can have on urban areas. In response to plans that Wal-Mart will expand into New York City, the Stringer report conducted a case study of the impact Wal-Mart had on the West side of Chicago and its residents’ access to food. Access to healthy food was a primary concern of Stringer’s study since it was estimated that 3 million New York City residents are without access to healthy food, and 43 percent of elementary school students are either obese or overweight. The study found that while Wal-Mart’s location in the city would initially increase the amount of food retail space available to residents, it is likely that within a year 30 to 41 fresh food retailers, representing 110,300 to 126,300 square feet of fresh food retail space, would close. In the second year the city would see a loss of an additional 18 to 25 stores. In total it is expected that 165,530 to 202,000 square feet of fresh food retail space would be loss. If Wal-Mart were to move into Harlem, and add their largest urban store of 120,000 square feet, there could be an expected net loss of 56,500 to 82,000 square feet of fresh food retail space within a one-mile radius of the store.30

Overview of Food Access and Insecurity in New York State and the Capital Region

The Capital Region of New York is the region in an around the capital city of Albany. Including the cities of Schenectady and Troy as well as several other towns and villages. The population of the region spans five counties: Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, and Schoharie2 and in 2013 had an estimated population (based on the 2010 census) of 875,905. In 2010, 96,960 people faced food insecurity within the region.31 Both the number of individuals, as well as the number of households in the region facing food insecurity are below the national levels [Figs. 1 and 2]. These statistics came from surveys conducted by the Census Bureau through their Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement and Feeding America through Hunger in America studies. Over a twelve month period interviewers conducted surveys and asked respondents to answer survey questions with ‘often,’ ‘sometimes,’ or ‘never.’ The definitions for the three levels of food insecurity were the following:

Food Security- Access at all times to enough nutritionally adequate food for an active, healthy lifestyle.

Low food Security- Decreased quality, variety and desirability but no significant decrease in quantity of food.

2 Although the Capital Region Includes the five counties mentioned, for the purpose of this paper the focus will be on Albany, Rensselaer, and Schenectady Counties and their respective major cities of Albany, Troy, and Schenectady.

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Very Low Food Security- Decrease in quantity or disrupted eating patterns because of lack of resources to access food.

Although the Capital Region’s rate of 13.4% food insecure residents is below both the national rate of 16.1% and the New York State rate of 14.2% it remains a concern. Interestingly, compared to the national levels, food insecurity in the Capital Region effects a different demographic of people than it does the rest of the country as well as the rest of New York state, with a greater percentage of food insecure individuals living above the poverty line [Fig. 3]. Because the largest percentage of food insecure individuals and households (almost half) earn at least 185% above the poverty line, they are exempt from programs aimed at increasing food security among the nation’s poor [Table 1]. 32 Minority communities are especially hard hit in regards to food access, with immigrant and African American communities, in general, having less access to healthful food than non-immigrant and white neighborhoods. In the city of Albany, 80% of non-white residents cannot find low-fat milk or high-fiber breads in their neighborhoods.33

As of 2011, 32 of New York State’s 62 counties were identified as having food deserts, effecting more than 656,000 people. Within the Capital Region, nine census tracts were identified in Albany County, four census tracts in Rensselaer County and nine census tracts in Schenectady County. Just between the two counties of Albany and Schenectady it is estimated that 60,000 people are living within a food desert; 19,500 households have no vehicles to use to get to a supermarket.34Although low-income populations are willing to travel using public transportation or by using a borrowed vehicle, this adds extra cost and time to the activity of food procurement.35 Since 2011 the number of food deserts in the region has expanded, which can be seen by comparing USDA food desert maps [Maps 1-4]. The designation of food desert was removed from three Albany County census tracts since 2011, however, this is countered with four additional census tracts across the river in Rensselaer County. In Schenectady County, the number of census tracts designated as food deserts also increased.

The Looking for an Oasis in a Food Desert report, published in 2011 and endorsed by the American Cancer Society, NYS Public Health Association, Capital Region Healthy Communities Coalition, and Healthy Schools NY-Capital Region, identified several ways New York State could reduce the negative impact of food deserts. Recommendations included, but were not limited to, a prohibition of food and beverage advertising on school grounds, expansion of Farmers Market Nutrition Program coupons, a tax incentive to entice supermarkets and large grocers to open locations in food deserts, and strategically expand the number of mobile markets in low income neighborhoods.36 In addition to the recommendations made in the report, an online farmers market such as Capital Root’s Virtual Veggie Mobile would increase access in the areas’ food deserts.

Background of Capital Roots and the Virtual Veggie Mobile

Capital Roots (CR) has been a part of the Capital Region since 1975, when it began as a community service project of Garden Way, the then manufacturer of Troy Bilt lawn and garden equipment. From its inception in 1975 until December 2014 Capital Roots was Capital District Community Gardens. As the organization grew beyond its initial mission of creating community gardens to one that encompasses many food related ventures, a new name became necessary. Since 1975 CR has grown to become much more than their 49 community gardens, which help feed 4,000 families, throughout the Capital Region. Among other initiatives there is a focus on increasing food access to area residents and creating sources for healthy food. In 2007 CR launched the Veggie Mobile, a portable produce market that travels throughout the region making produce accessible to thousands of elderly, low-income, and disabled residents. In 2011, the Veggie Mobile project expanded to include the Veggie Mobile Sprout, which

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increased CR’s service to even more Capital Region residents. In 2013 the Veggie Mobile and Sprout helped to support local farmers by purchasing 75% of their produce from New York state farms. Throughout the year staff, with the help of 21 volunteers, visited 46 locations on weekly basis and provided 286 tons of produce to 55,000 residents.37

The most recent installment of the Veggie Mobile project is the Virtual Veggie Mobile (VVM), which is not, “a truck at all but an ecommerce website—an online marketplace for the sale and distribution of regional food products.”38 Capital Roots created the VVM as a way to strengthen the connection between urban residents and regional farmers while enhancing food access to a low-income urban constituency. The VVM is able to increase access of healthy, and culturally appropriate foods, to neighborhoods without easy access to these items otherwise. Because of its virtual nature the VVM can be accessed anytime, anywhere, by anyone with internet access. Many existing constituents of CR’s Veggie Mobile expressed a desire for more farmers’ markets in their neighborhoods. Although there have been attempts to start markets in these neighborhoods all have failed mainly because the markets were not feasible for farmers. In order for farmers to remain economically sustainable they must spend their time away from farms at high income markets or delivering pre-paid CSAs. With a farmers market a farmer must closely predict what they will sell at market and then spend hours away from their farm selling it. If they underestimate how much produce will be purchased they lose out on sales, if they overestimate they may end up with wasted product. With the VVM customers pre-order their weekly purchase allowing farmers to harvest exactly the right amount of product and minimize the time away from their farm with a quick drop-off location.39 At the time of this writing the VVM had roughly 50 organizational customers as well as 50 individual customers. Of the individual customers, about 20 individuals place orders within any given week.

The propensity to favor high-income neighborhoods is not just an action seen with farmers and farmers markets. It happens enough so that if you live in a well-off neighborhood you may even wonder if there is a problem with food access and insecurity.40 Even when a program is created with the intention of increasing food access, hidden biases may still lead purveyors to favor high-income areas. One example comes from New York City’s Green Carts initiative, which started in 2008 at the behest of the health department to “increase access to fruits and vegetables in neighborhoods with the lowest reported fruit and vegetable consumption and the highest obesity rates.”41 An evaluation conducted in 2014, however, found only seven percent of the carts to be located in food deserts3 compared with over a third (36%) of the candidate sites being located in food deserts. Additionally, 78 percent of carts were located near at least two healthy food stores located in commercial areas with heavy pedestrian traffic. Even those carts set-up to accept EBT cards were no more likely to be located in food deserts than those carts without EBT compatibility.42

Trends in Food Procurement and Potential Competition to the VVM

As the national trend toward healthier, more wholesome food has grown over the years, it is no surprise the number of “brick and mortar” farmers markets has increased as well. According to the USDA’s annual directory of farmers markets, in the past 20 years the total number of farmers markets has increased from 1,755 in 1994 to 8,268 in 2014 [Fig.4]. At the same time, the percentage of shopping being done online has also risen, with nearly three times as many purchases being made online in 2014 as they were in 2005.43 It is not surprising then that in recent years a new trend has emerged in connecting consumers to their farmers, virtual farmers markets. Although home delivery of healthful items is nothing new, milkmen for instance, the way food is ordered is being revolutionized. While supermarkets have been offering home delivery of groceries to customers for years, the customer is limited to just the one store. The advent of the virtual farmers market means customers can shop a variety of farms and have

3 For the purposes of the evaluation, a food desert was designated as lacking a healthy store within one-quarter mile.

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their food delivered together in one delivery. Although it has not been until recently that the idea of virtual farmers markets has begun to gain traction, they have been around since at least 2002 when Eric Wagoner of Athens, Georgia founded locallygrown.net, the first [as far as he knows] of its kind. One of the best known of the virtual farmers markets today may be Good Eggs, which originated in Brooklyn in February of 2013 and now operates in three other cities: Los Angeles, New Orleans, and San Francisco. Although the Good Eggs website offers a ‘Value Picks’ section, there offerings may be out of touch of what people with limited food access and security consider a value pick. For instance $7.99 for a half-dozen raw oysters is not likely to be at the top of the shopping list for a family of four shopping on a budget nor would the six-pack of English muffins for $14.99. Although Good Eggs is certainly offering high quality food, it is doubtful their presence is helping to increase food access, nor is it necessarily trying to.44

Throughout my research I only came across one other organization with a mission similar to the VVM, Baltimarket a project run by the Baltimore City Health Department as a means of addressing food access and justice. In March 2010, the City of Baltimore founded Baltimarket, and after a temporary suspension of the program in October of 2013, has recently rejuvenated it. Baltimarket works with the mission to, “improve the health and wellness of Baltimore City residents by using food access and food justice as strategies for community transformation.”45 Their virtual market is supermarket based; the reason for the temporary program suspension was the closing of their partner supermarket, Santonis. They have since re-partnered with ShopRite. This differs from the VVM, which creates a direct link between farmers and shoppers. The Baltimarket virtual supermarket program aims to increase access to healthy foods at affordable prices (grocery stores in Baltimore’s food deserts have less healthy food available and what is available is usually sold at a higher price), while demonstrating the ability to address food deserts and their related health impacts. Through the time of the initial launch to the temporary suspension, Baltimarket’s virtual supermarket was able to steadily increase their sales to $110,000 and unique customers to 455. Of those customers, a majority said the virtual supermarket helped them to make healthier food purchases for both themselves and their families. Of those respondents more than half reported the virtual supermarket helped them “a lot,” compared to “a little.”46

As home delivery services, and the issues of food access and insecurity, grow in popularity more and more organizations are looking to get a section of the market. Whole Foods opened its first Capital Region store in June of 2014 with the prospects of opening more stores in the region in the coming years.47 Although Whole Foods may seem like an unlikely competitor to the VVM, the company has been working diligently to change their “Whole Paycheck” image and make themselves more affordable and accessible to urban neighborhoods as well as mid and downmarket customer segments.48 Additionally, Whole Foods has launched a grocery delivery service in select urban markets, which provides groceries within one hour of an order being placed online. The delivery service launched in Austin, TX and Boston, MA in September 2014 with the plan to expand to 15 other cities within several months. The aim of the delivery service is to expand Whole Foods’s current customer reach. Customers can access the delivery service online or through an app on their smartphones and tablets. After an initial free delivery, customers are required to pay a delivery charge ranging from $3.99-$5.99 depending on how quickly they want the groceries delivered. Whole Foods is also offering an annual fee of $99 with unlimited delivery.49 Currently, the Whole Foods in Albany permits online orders but does not offer delivery. Their online delivery service, however, seems to be aimed at upmarket customers rather than mid to downmarket customers. The items available include prepared foods and bakery items, nothing in the way of staple items. Whole Foods does appear to be marketing towards the Italian segment of the area population (the second largest non-English speaking population in Albany and Schenectady Counties) by offering a sale on their “Feast of the Seven Fishes” a traditional Christmas dinner for Italian-Americans.

Whole Foods gained national attention when, in June 2013, the company opened its doors in Detroit, MI.50 Detroit had been without a mainstream grocer since Farmer Jack closed in 2007, designating all of

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Detroit a food desert.51 When Whole Foods announced plans to open a new store in Detroit many were surprised and made the assumption the company would continue to follow its proven successful strategy of marketing to high-income suburban populations with a focus on high quality and knowledgeable staff.52 Yet, Co-CEO Walter Robb has stated the mission is to serve all Detroiters, which would obviously include the city’s poor.53 Between 2009 and 2011, 14 percent of Detroit households faced food insecurity, and independent area grocers estimated that 75 to 80 percent of store purchases were from EBT purchases.54 With the opening of their store in Detroit, Whole Foods has been able to lower the prices on many of their items, and offer them cheaper than in the nearby suburban location of Orchard Lake. However, many of these lower prices are seen on packaged and prepared foods, such as their salad bar, which is $6.99 per pound in Detroit compared to $8.99 per pound in Orchard Lake, while much of their produce selection remains the same price—out of reach for those consumers on a strict budget. Whole Foods’ decision to open in urban areas, and expand its customer segment is, according to Walter Robb the Co-CEO of Whole Foods, based on the fact that Whole Foods is, “coming to confront the disconnect between the accessibility and affordability in healthy food.”55 With company leaders stating Whole Foods cares equally about social equity and making profit.56 In January 2014, seven months after its opening, CEO Robb reported that SNAP sales were five to six times higher than the chain’s average, although declined to give exact numbers.57 If Whole Foods new expansion efforts, focused at increasing food accessibility and access, are successful in the Capital Region and if they launch a delivery service for the area, they could become a competing force.

Within the Capital Region, VVM remains unique in services offered, but competition is likely to soon increase. In addition to possible competition from brick and mortar stores offering delivery services there is also FarmieMarket.com, another online farmers market based in the Capital Region. Founded in 2010, FarmieMarket looks to connect local farmers with patrons. All produce sold on the website is from local farms who adhere to the ‘By Locals’ pledge of being 100% hormone, antibiotic, pesticide, and GMO free. FarmieMarket procures products from ten farms and offers products ranging from produce to meats to herbal remedies to pet food.58 Although similar in set-up to the Virtual Veggie Mobile, FarmieMarket does not currently focus on creating greater food access for individuals and communities. This is likely to change, however, with the recent awarding of a Value Added Producers Grant. In August 2014, FarmieMarket received a grant that will be used, in part, to implement acceptance of SNAP benefits. “Once the technology is in place, FarmieMarket will begin marketing efforts to reach the 85,000 people in the Capital Region who benefit from SNAP EBT credits.”59

Customer Segments

There are two primary customer segments CR is hoping to reach with the introduction of the Virtual Veggie Mobile. The first customer segment is individual customers who live in the Albany area, the second customer segment is businesses and organizations in Schenectady and Rensselaer Counties, which work with children, elderly, and/or low-income citizens. The Veggie Mobile and Veggie Mobile sprout currently make stops in all three counties [Maps 5 and 6]. Comparing these maps with the most recent USDA information on food deserts [Maps 2 and 4] shows there is a great amount of area that could benefit from increased access to fresh fruit and vegetables. Areas of immediate expansion should be focused on individuals in uptown Albany and southern Albany as well as western Rensselaer County and Schenectady. Because the current penetration of the Veggie Mobile in Rensselaer and Schenectady counties is low, targeting businesses and organizations would have the greatest and most immediate impact.

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Immigrant and Ethnic Minority Populations

In a phenomenon known as the “immigrant health paradox” research has shown that Hispanic populations, as well as other immigrant populations, in the U.S. exhibit better health (outcomes included birth weight, infant mortality, and diet) than their U.S. born counterparts regardless of socio-economic status. The “immigrant health paradox” begins to erode the longer an individual and family are in the country. It is believed the increased health of Hispanics is associated to traditional diets, those with a high intake of fruits and vegetables.60 This high intake being linked to their traditional food cultures, which are “expressions by which people establish, maintain, and reinforce their (sub) cultural, ethnic, and individual identities.”61 As individual and Hispanic families remain in the United States and begin to acculturate, diet quality decreases.62 A decrease in fruit and vegetable intake is shown with increasing years of residence, which is associated with higher body mass indexes and obesity.63 Foreign born Hispanic women living in the United States for 0-14 years exhibited significantly higher intake levels of fruits and vegetables than did foreign born women living in the country for more than 14 years.64 The fact that healthier lifestyles are found across socio-economic groups is important since the association between affluence and food access has been long established with more affluent neighborhoods associated with a higher intake of fruits and vegetables, while less affluent neighborhoods having less access to healthy foods.65

The more attached an individual is to their native culture the higher their consumption of fruits and vegetables. For instance, for each 10 percentage points increase in the number of foreign-born Hispanics within a census-tract there is an increase of .3 servings of fruits and vegetables per day.66 A variance also occurred based on the language spoken at home. Native Spanish speakers who spoke only Spanish at home had the highest mean daily serving of fruits and vegetables (6.3), with the mean declining when families spoke both Spanish and English at home (5.9 daily servings), and even more so when families spoke only English at home (3.6 daily servings). In the Capital Region, the Spanish language is spoken more than any language other than English with 19,213 Spanish speakers identified in the 2010 census. The percentage of Spanish speakers was higher in the cities of Albany (4.57 percent), Schenectady (4.8 percent), and Troy (3.5 percent) than in their respective counties.67,68,69 The higher concentration of native Spanish speakers in cities fits in with the nationwide trend that immigrants are more likely to settle in inner city areas than they are in more rural areas, although the rate immigrants are settling in suburban areas is increasing.70

A study by the Urban Institute for the Annie E. Casey foundation surveyed residents in 10 low-income neighborhoods across the country to gain a better perspective on the economic well-being of different immigrant groups. The results of this study showed that native born and immigrant households experienced equal amounts of food insecurity throughout a year. However, when disaggregated and broken down into countries/regions of origin the data shows a great amount of disparity. Immigrants from Mexico and Central America had the highest rates of food insecurity with 25 percent of households reporting periods of food insecurity within the one-year time period. Immigrants from Africa and the West Indies reported the second highest rates of food insecurity with 23 percent of households lacking enough money to buy food at some point within the previous year. Of foreign born respondents those of Hispanic background reported the highest rate of food insecurity with 23 percent of households facing food insecurity. Among these respondents households with children had an 80 percent higher chance of facing food insecurity than those without children. With these results the respondents possessed both a driver’s license and access to a reliable car, the main factor in food security was affordability not access.71 Over two-thirds of the Mexican and Central American Hispanic populations (68 percent) had limited English proficiency. Only immigrants from Southeast Asia had a higher percentage (70 percent) of limited English proficiency. Immigrants from other Asian countries and those from South America

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followed with 55 and 52 percent levels of limited English proficiency, respectively.4 The amount of immigrants with limited English proficiency is often tied to formal levels of education, with 70 percent of surveyed immigrants without a high school diploma. This limited amount of education is then often tied to increased levels of poverty and food insecurity. Economic hardship and food insecurity are often compounded by the status of an immigrant with undocumented immigrants facing difficulty in gaining citizenship. Ironically, these same undocumented immigrants who face food insecurity are also overrepresented in agricultural work.72

Even after controlling for education and access to transportation, immigrants and native minorities were more likely to face food hardship than native whites. However, some groups fared better than others. For instance Southeast Asian immigrants despite being the hardest hit by poverty and unemployment were the group least likely to experience food hardship, experiencing it at a rate 50 percent less than native whites. Asian immigrants faced food security at a rate 80 percent less than native whites. It is postulated that the reason for the disparity is based on the refugee benefits and services they receive. On the opposite end of the spectrum were immigrants from Mexico and Central America who, after controlling for several factors including: education, transportation, English proficiency, and poverty still faced food hardship as much as 60 percent more than native whites and U.S. born Hispanics.73

Children

A recent study, conducted in the UK, found that over half of magazine advertisements aimed at children were marketing food items. Furthermore, children are exposed to food marketing through the internet, magazines, digital advertising (via email or text message), and in school.74 A different study comparing television food advertising in 13 countries showed that the majority of food advertising consisted of items considered to be energy dense and nutrient poor (EDNP). The advertisement of these foods was highest during peak viewing times for children. It is not surprising that so much food marketing is aimed at children, as nearly a quarter of the country (23.3%) is under the age of 1875 and that exposure to food marketing is strongly associated with food choices including new product selection.76 Within the Capital Region this demographic is similarly represented, although the city of Albany and Albany County both have children representing a smaller percent of their populations with 17.9%, and 19%, respectively [Fig. 5].77,78,79 The marketing of food aimed at children is usually in the category of being high in fat, salt, and sugar (HFSS), or considered EDNP. Children who live in low-income neighborhoods, or those designated as food deserts are often the most vulnerable to this type of advertising. While healthy or unhealthy choices can be made at most locations, children that live in these areas are less likely to have access to nutritionally rich foods like fresh produce, whole grains, and low-fat dairy items.80 The disproportionate exposure to establishments providing unhealthy food choices, coupled with heavy food marketing of HFSS and EDNP food items has strongly linked to childhood obesity and subsequently childhood disease. This is especially alarming since the early elementary years represent a critical stage of physical development; excessive body fat in adolescence is predictive of obesity in adulthood.81 Eating habits that children develop during adulthood will likely stay with them throughout their lives.

Marketing of food to children is often linked to the marketing of unhealthy foods. The vast majority of published literature is focused on the negative impacts of unhealthy food marketing on children, with very little focused on the marketing of healthy food choices to children. Recommendations of how to market

4 The largest country in South America, Brazil, is a Portuguese speaking country making Portuguese the predominant language spoken on the continent. A close second, and the language spoken in the majority of South American countries is Spanish

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food to children have come at all levels including recommendations from World Health Organization,82 as well as local recommendations which can be found in Looking for an Oasis in a Food Desert. These recommendations, however, are mostly aimed at how to limit the exposure of children to the marketing of unhealthy food items not at increasing exposure to healthy food marketing. One example being, “prohibit all food and beverage advertising in school grounds and within 1000 feet of schools to protect children from incessant and effective marketing.”83 While limiting the amount of marketing children are exposed to certainly has merits, this recommendation does not address, nor negate, the other forms of food marketing children are exposed to. Increasing children’s exposure to healthy food marketing and education, while increasing their (and their parents) access to healthy foods would help to balance the marketing, and consumption of, foods that are HFSS and EDNP.

Children and minority groups make up two of the more vulnerable groups in our society in terms of food access and security. There is a large amount of literature, which supports the vulnerability of each group, which is why they have been chosen as target customer segments for the accompanying marketing plan. Although both groups face issues of food insecurity the reasons behind their limited access are different. For this reason, the two groups will need to be targeted separately with uniquely different marketing strategies.

Marketing Objectives

Create Marketing Materials Aimed at Non-English Speaking, Multicultural Customers

Food access unequally effects nonwhite residents and low-income residents many of who may not speak English, or may not speak it as a first language. Because the target segment of the population being faced with the problem of food access comes from multicultural backgrounds, it is imperative that one objective of the marketing plan is to produce a multicultural approach with materials available either wholly or in part in languages other than English. Language holds a lot of power in advertising, and can create great impact and persuasion. Language has been shown to impact dietary choices, for example bilingual Hispanic American populations consume more fruits and vegetables when Spanish is spoken in the house opposed to when English alone is spoken at home.84 Several studies85 suggest that bilingual speakers possess a hierarchical system of language with languages existing at two levels: the lexical (word) and conceptual (meaning). At the lexical level languages remain discrete, while at the conceptual level they form a united system with stronger conceptual links being made to lexical representations in an individual’s primary language. When electronic marketing, such as websites, are presented in an individual’s primary language, such as Spanish or Italian, there is a stronger association created for the user. This can hold true even with singular words, especially those that hold emotional value. Words like quincinera86, the sweet 15 celebration to mark a Latina girl’s entrance into adulthood, and hija,87 daughter, have been used successfully in ad campaigns that are otherwise presented in English. However, even when electronic materials are presented in a user’s secondary language, such as English, a strong connection to the bilingual user can still be made if images representative of their primary culture are used.88 So in order to reach a swath of Hispanic customers it would not be necessary to translate the entire website into Spanish, rather promoting Hispanic dishes or using photographs of Hispanics could be equally effective.

Similarly, food culture remains a strong influence of food purchasing behaviors. One reason the United Nations added “social” to their definition of food security was to address this concern. It is important that

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people have access to foods, which are culturally appropriate. “Food cultures, or foodways, are largely symbolic expressions by which people establish, maintain, and reinforce their (sub)cultural, ethnic, and individual identities.”89 Among many low-income African-American populations and Hispanic immigrants (at least those with high acculturation levels) there may be identity-based reasons for unhealthy eating habits. Soul food and Mexican-American Tex-Mex cuisines hold with them a great amount of symbolism representative of the struggle and survival of their ancestors. They are also diets traditionally high in fat, calories, and carbohydrates. To some in these communities the idea of healthy eating is associated with white privilege.90 A nutrition intervention aimed at low-income individuals in Rhode Island found that many food-insecure individuals did not include fat-lowering behaviors like avoiding fried foods. There are several hypotheses as to why this is including more caloric value for equal cost, lack of food preparation skills, or personal choice.91 It also stands to reason that suggested fat-lowering behaviors would impact traditional preparation of meals and/or rule out traditional dishes associated with identity.

Increase Social Media Presence and Increase Interactivity

Another marketing objective is to expand upon the use of multimedia platforms and social media and introduce a new platform, the QR code. A QR (Quick Response) code “is a type of matrix bar code or two-dimensional code designed to be read by smartphones. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background.”92 In other words a glorified bar code. Although the technology of QR codes has existed for 20 years (they were originally designed to track car parts) it has only been within the last several years, as smartphones have gained in popularity, that the technology has really begun to take off.93 As of 2013, 91 percent of all Americans have and use a cell phone. A number, which has steadily increased since 2009 [Fig. 6]. Of those cell phone users 63 percent have used their phones to access the internet, meaning 57 percent of the American population uses their phones for online access.94 Of those who use their phones for online access, over one third (34 percent) use their phones as their primary source for online access, more so than desktop or laptop computers. The percentage of cell-internet users who use their smartphones as their primary source of online access increases amongst low-income individuals, with 45 percent of cell-internet users living in a household with an income of less than $30,000 using smartphones as their main source of online access95 As smartphones become more ubiquitous usage is being seen across all ages, genders, and socio-economic groups. Amongst non-white Americans, 74 percent of African Americans and 68 percent of Hispanics use smartphones. Urban residents are more likely to use smartphones than rural inhabitants, with 66 percent of urban dwellers using smartphones.96 The high usage of cell-internet users in urban areas can be attributed to the fact that many urban residents rely on internet hotspots and/or public Wi-Fi.97 Smartphones allow one to access the internet without a home internet service. Although the elderly are the least likely age group to use smartphones almost a quarter (22 percent) of those 65 and older use smartphones.98 Of the targeted segments CR aims to access with their marketing, many have cell internet capability and many even use it as their primary online source meaning there is potentially a large usage for the mobile app and QR codes as well as the usage of social media via their smartphones. It can be assumed that as smartphones gain in popularity and younger generations grow older smartphone usage will only increase amongst elderly populations.

The key component of making QR codes and social media platforms work is creating platforms, which are interactive for the user, meaning the user can both receive and contribute information to the platform.99,100Although the term social media is widely used, it lacks a common definition. One study defines social media as “a means of interactions among people in which they create, share and exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks.”101 The component of user generated content and interaction is, for most people, critical to the definition.102 When executed properly, QR codes can fall

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into the definition of social media. Unlike other social media sites, like Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, QR codes have traditionally been associated with limited interactivity as they were mostly one sided with the user needing to request the information, which is “hidden” behind the QR code. Through there evolution, however, QR codes have linked to interactive sites where users are able to perform tasks or click on various components in order to receive special offers.103 Online platforms that encourage social behavior have been shown to significantly modify the activities, habits, and interactions of users.104 Thus, interactivity of a QR code is a key component of the responsiveness of users to QR codes. Additionally, the perception of scanning QR codes or visiting social media sites as normal behavior is largely influential in a potential users habits, as is the perceived usefulness of using the media platform. The more widely accepted QR codes become within a community, the more likely individuals are to use them. However, users must also find the information obtained from a QR code to be of use and value in order to continue the practice of scanning the codes. Unlike other social media sites, which can be accessed through any device with internet access, QR codes can only be accessed via smartphones limiting the amount of people who can use them. On printed materials, QR codes have a greater impact than icons for other social media sites like Facebook or Twitter because the user can quickly scan the code to gain instant access and gratification, which more and more people have come to expect, rather than having to manually visit a social media site.105 QR codes may then be most beneficial if they link to a special offer or directly to another social media platform operated by CR.

An objective of CR then should be to take advantage of the full potential of social media sites by encouraging users to contribute information as much as they receive information. Of the wide array of social networking sites available to users, the top three were Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest across all demographics. Within low-income households (72 percent of households with incomes less than $30,000 per year used social networking sites106 compared to 75 percent of low-income households that, in 2012, reported using the internet107) 68 percent of individuals used Facebook, 16 percent followed Twitter, and 10 percent were on Pinterest.108 Since interactivity is such an important component to successful social media, CR will need to take care to develop online relationships, encouraging interaction not just between users and the organization, but also between users and users.109 Encouraging user to user content does much to create a subjective norm of the platforms usage within a community, as well as generating word of mouth buzz.110,111 As Facebook is by far the most widely accessed social media platform it would make sense that a primary objective of a social media push be aimed at creating a strong Facebook community. And in 2011 the reason one in five Americans did not use the internet was due to personal preference, not lack of access. Of the roughly 20 percent of Americans who did not access the internet, only six percent cited access as the determining factor.112 As municipalities seek to increase access to the internet the access factor will likely shrink. Currently there are 70 cities within the U.S. that provide free Wi-Fi to their residents,113 and major internet providers like Comcast and Time Warner offer subsidized internet programs for low-income families. There are also pilot programs, such as the one run by the Brooklyn Library, which loan out mobile hotspots for up to a year to any resident enrolled in one of the library’s programs.114

From an advertising perspective, social media users see a number of benefits to the online platforms including a broader selection of products, competitive pricing, cost reduction, and price diversity.115 In addition to using social media platforms as a means of advertising selective offers, social media sites have also been shown to be effective educational tools in regards to health and nutrition.116,117In a study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association it has been shown that online nutritional education can be just as effective, if not more so, than traditional programs for participants of WIC.118 This could be associated to the fact that between 55 and 67 percent of U.S. adults use the internet for wellness information and social media is used by 20 to 34 percent of individuals looking for health and nutrition information.119 A study conducted by the Society for Nutrition and Education found Facebook to be an effective strategy in recruiting low-income women in Pennsylvania to nutrition education programs.

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Of the targeted group of low-income women more than half had faced or were facing issues of food insecurity.120

One caveat to keep in mind, however, is that language can be a barrier for social media usage, with Spanish speakers responding less to social media outlets.121 It is unclear, however, if the language barrier caused the lack of social media usage. In other words, would Spanish language speakers be more apt to use American social media platforms produced in Spanish along with English.

Increase Visibility in Schools and Childcare Centers

A final objective will be to target schools and childcare centers in Schenectady and Rensselaer Counties. A strong correlation has been made showing that the children build preferences based on the food marketing they are exposed to, which ultimately leads to purchases and consumptions.122 The food marketing children are exposed to is largely unbalanced in favor of low nutrition foods and beverages, which are energy dense and nutrient poor,123 specifically pre-sugared breakfast cereals, soft drinks, savory snacks, confectionary and fast foods.124 Not surprisingly, much of the food advertising aimed at children is located in areas frequented by children, such as billboards displayed in or near school zones. Although in 2008 the US Federal Trade Commission, in a report to Congress, recommended that food advertising aimed at children should be restricted to healthy food choices, there has been no ban on unhealthy food advertising as there has been in Quebec since 1984 or junk food ads in the UK since 2007.125 These unhealthy food choices have been linked to both communicable diseases and obesity in children. Of children exposed to the various types of media, “exposure to print/transport food marketing and digital food marketing was strongly associated with students’ food choices.”126 With digital marketing, even if the exposure is minimal to reaction to it is strong likely because of the interaction required on the part of the recipient of the advertisement. As the level of exposure to advertising increased so too did a student’s likelihood of trying a new product or asking a parent or caretaker for a product they had seen advertised.127 Knowing students have this reaction to both print and digital marketing the VVM can specifically target children and schools as recipients for advertising. Posters and flyers hung near or around schools, childcare centers, and after school programs can increase a child’s awareness of the available healthy food options. Since it has been shown parents often acquiesce to their children’s purchase requests128 advertising aimed at children could promote healthy eating throughout the family. This phenomenon is known as “kidfluence” and has been shown to be powerful enough to alter the eating habits of the entire family.129

The report, Looking for an Oasis in a Food Desert made the recommendation to “prohibit food and beverage advertising in schools and within 1,000 feet of schools.”130 Beginning in 1984 the Provence of Quebec has instituted a ban on fast food advertising to children in both print and electronic media. While Canada mirrors the U.S. in its statistics on childhood obesity, Quebec has the lowest instances.131 It may not be enough to obstruct the advertising of foods with a negative health impact, but also needed is the promotion of healthy foods and beverages. Over the last decade several initiatives have been proposed in order to rebalance the food marketing landscape, including one from the World Health Organization.132 It is important to instill healthy eating habits in children, as these are habits they are likely to carry on with them through to adulthood. It is especially important during the early elementary years when children often develop excess body fat, a foretelling of obesity in adulthood.

Marketing Strategy and Activities

Becoming an ally within the community can be helped through the aide of community ambassadors. More and more customers are wanting the place they buy groceries from to be their ally—to help them

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make smart choices about what they eat. Capital Roots already has strong ties to the community, and is likely a trusted ally to many so it is not so much about building a strong relationship, but enhancing and building upon it. Promoting healthy eating throughout the community could help build this trust. Baltimarket helped to build this relationship through their “Baltimore City Healthy Eating Map.” (To view the map, please visit http://www.baltimarket.org/.) The interactive map allows users to highlight their neighborhood to activate a pull down menu that shows where they can access healthy foods from grocery stores, farmers markets, urban farms, community gardens, and where they can attend cooking classes. Baltimarket, through their partnership with ShopRite delivers healthy foods throughout the city.133 This shows that Baltimarket was interested not just in increasing their own sales, but making sure Baltimore residents knew where they could find healthy food options.

Community Ambassadors

Community ambassadors is a strategy used by many other organizations, including WIC and Baltimarket. The ideas behind a community ambassador is to encourage neighborhood residents to try out a new service or product, but to hear about it from someone they know or someone who is from the same cultural background and shares the same language. Word of mouth is one of the most powerful forms of advertising, especially when coming from a trusted source such as another member of the community. Training community ambassadors on how to use the VVM website will allow them to assist others with food orders. Ambassadors can be available in libraries, community centers, places of worship at designated times. Ambassadors will be able to show customers how to download and use the mobile application on their smartphones and also be equipped with a laptop to assist individuals without smartphone access. Either way a community ambassador will serve as someone who can answer any questions a customer may have about the program and how it works. A-frame posters both outside of and inside of an organization can draw people from the community into the community ambassador. Weekly scheduled times can be set up that best correspond with the delivery schedule.

With the current budget it would be necessary that community ambassadors serve in a volunteer position. Pulling from the existing list of volunteers would be a logical place to start, as would recruiting from people who are involved in other programs of CR, like community gardens or the veggie mobile. Since these people have already seen the benefits of CR’s programs they would naturally be able to speak highly of the organization. Community ambassadors could spread word of the program by engaging with neighbors, hanging posters, and helping to make deliveries. Seeing a familiar face making deliveries, even it is not someone the customer knows personally will help to make an impression on a new customer. Community ambassadors can also come in the form of a revered community member, such as a religious leader or an employee of a local cultural center or refuge office. WIC offices across the country have found religious institutes to be helpful, especially when trying to reach minority and elderly groups.134

Become an Ally to Individuals and Organizations

Based on the above, Hispanic and immigrant populations show a preference for eating fresh fruits and vegetables, especially those individuals and families with the least amount of acculturation. These cultures could benefit the most from affordable fruits and vegetables marketed with regard to their Hispanic culture. Nationwide, the USDA’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) has seen much success when programs use multilingual marketing tools aimed at multicultural constituents. Although WIC is a program of the USDA campaigns are run at the state level. WIC has learned that its most successful outreach programs are ones aimed at the diversity of underserved communities and include strategies, such as: producing outreach materials in a range of languages, collaborating with agencies that serve WIC eligible families, working with employers of WIC

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individuals, and collaborating with health, foster, and childcare providers and distributing outreach materials to local community groups and organizations.135

As a way to segway organizational customers into individual customers a series of cooking classes offered for free at the venues could be used to entice customers. It is important to acknowledgement the cultural relativity of these cooking classes, especially when looking to attract customers from a multicultural background. Conducting cooking classes in both English and Spanish would entice Hispanic customers, but it may not be feasible. In their urban stores, Whole Foods has seen success through hiring locals, who speak the vernacular, teach the classes.136 Cooking classes can vary based on who the targeted audience is. When teaching in communities with a strong immigrant population, highlighting ingredients and/or dishes they are familiar with is an easy way to introduce them to a new concept (purchasing food on the VVM).

Thus far the VVM has solely been marketed with the home delivery service. It is possible that by expanding into centralized drop-off points throughout the region CR will be able to attract more individuals and organizations. Baltimarket has found the most success in using libraries as drop off points and places where food can be ordered. Although they initially tried churches they found that many people were unwilling to go other churches. While having a church as a central drop off location would work if there were enough people interested from one church, a more neutral location like a library or community center would attract more people. Balitmarket picked their libraries based locations of food deserts and low-income residents. Prior to the days of delivery Baltimarket stations staff at drop-off points so that they may help customers with ordering. The staff are equipped with a laptop to help guide customers through the process; customers are made aware of this service by a sandwich board located outside the building.137 This benefits all parties involved including the residents of a neighborhood, the hosting organization, and Baltimarket.

Well-Planned Social Media Campaign

Taylor and Kent in their 1998 article Building Dialogic Relationships through the World Wide Web pioneered academic study of interactive communication on the internet and in doing so created four basic principles to be followed in social media marketing. Although the internet and social media have changed dramatically since 1998, their four basic principles still hold true today.138 The four principles are:(1) include useful information on the site; (2) frequently update sites and generate new content to engage publics and encourage return visits; (3) make sites easy to use and navigate; (4) strive to keep the public on the site.139

Capital Roots is already involved on social media sites Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube. The Facebook and Twitter accounts are well maintained and active. However, the YouTube channel although updated several years ago has only two contributions in the last several years one a year ago and one two months ago. Followers expect organizations to be more active than individuals,140 however this can sometimes be tricky in instances when Facebook’s algorithms prevent followers from seeing the organizations posts.141 It is important for an organization not to be discouraged by this and to keep posting often. Linking between accounts can help to increase the visibility.142One of the biggest challenges for small non-profits looking to build a strong social media presence is the time required. Often times organizations simply do not have to staff and time available devote to maintaining multiple social media accounts. For this reason it would be most advantageous to focus on the two most visible channels—Facebook and Twitter, and remove the organization from YouTube until more time can be committed to its upkeep. By keeping a link on the Capital Roots website it draws attention to the fact that the media channel is not maintained. In the meantime the VVM can begin to build a library of videos to be shared

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on YouTube once it is relaunched. Having a cache of videos in the waiting means they can be released at predetermined dates with the click of a button. Cooking classes offered by the VVM can be recorded and posted to CR’s YouTube channel. The posting of these videos will serve a dual purpose. It will continue to build upon the social media community by allowing viewers another forum, which they contribute their ideas and thoughts. It can also serve as an educational piece. There are items offered for sale on the VVM that customers may be unaware of, or intimidated by. Offering short, 5 minute videos on YouTube, and linking to them through the VVM site, will give customers an educational offering. Posting these shorts to YouTube would be a way to revitalize CDCGmedia so the platform could gain a following and be used for continuous education and advertising. A QR code on announcements for cooking classes could link directly to the YouTube channel so people can preview what CR offers in the way of education.

The function of Twitter can be broken down into three categories: information, action, and community. Information refers to any news pertaining to the CR or the VVM, community is the process of building relationships and crating networks, while action is the act of calling people to action whether it be for donations, volunteering, or attending events.143 Social media marketers will use themes to build interest around a topic, rather than just posting single messages.144 A theme could include posts tied into all three categories of tweets. Many nonprofit organizations continue to use Facebook and Twitter as they would traditional marketing; using social media as a platform for one-way communication. Using public messages to reply to other Twitter users as well as retweeting messages of others are helpful ways to increase two way communication on Twitter. Sending public messages creates an openness and demonstrates an organizations responsiveness to its followers. Although not all messages warrant a response, acknowledging the message can always be helpful, it is imperative for an organization to answer those tweets, which do merit a response. Retweets are the reposting of another Twitter users post. Retweeting another’s post gives them acknowledgement and draws them into the organization. Retweets can also be helpful when answering public messages so as to keep the full dialog.145 Twitter is more complicated than many may think; the use of hashtags by nonprofit organizations signals a strong understanding of how hashtags work in helping with search engine optimization.146 Although interaction with other twitter users has the potential to be time consuming there are ways to alleviate the time crunch such as scheduling posts ahead of time. It is important to ask questions of users that relate back to the VVM, such as what foods are you preparing for Dia de los Muertos. Although this is a traditional holiday in Hispanic countries, it is gaining traction in the U.S. so has cross-cultural relevance. Create a hashtag for the VVM for instance #VirtualVeg. This hashtag could be advertised on promotional materials like postcards and flyers so customers will be aware of the hashtag and know how to use it. The purpose of a hashtag is to link a specific post to a greater, relevant topic. Hashtags can make searching for information easier, but it is best when they are established by an organization.147 Hashtags have been made popular through Twitter, but are also used on other social media platforms like Facebook.

There is a misconception that social media marketing does not need a plan, and that it can be done on a whim. While this certainly can be done, successful campaigns are planned. In order to best execute the plan and save on time, posts can often be scheduled ahead of time. While this will take some time at the beginning of planning, it will ensure social media does not get forgotten about and frees up time ongoing. Creating a calendar of events can help to create the overarching social media marketing strategy. Events to put on the calendar could be organizational events that need promoting or external events to help draw in the public. Since low-income households receiving SNAP benefits are a targeted audience social media advertisements can coincide with the distribution of SNAP benefits. Similarly promotions can be aimed at a specific holiday or celebration season. When looking to market at multicultural audience’s attention can be paid to cultural specific holidays like Dia de los Muertes mentioned above. It is also important not to forget about what has been achieved through social media. There are two applications that can help

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archive and analyze the data from social media. Storify allows an organization to collect from social media across all platforms and simply “pull-in” the information to a storyboard. This information can be saved as a .pdf file and archived. Pulling up the story board can then be helpful tool to show to potential donors or grantees to illustrate the impact of the program. SproutSocial is a subscription based social media management tool, which pulls in analytics from all platforms so the information can be easily studied.148 SproutSocial offers three levels of membership, all of which come with a 30 day free trial, ranging from $59/month to $500/month for three users.149 Pricing for Storify is not readily available without a formal inquiry.

Once a strong social media presence, with high interaction with customers, has been established the VVM should begin promotion through other outlet like Instagram or Pinterest. Pinterest is the third most popular social media site, however, unlike Facebook and Twitter, there is no way to measure the analytics to see who is viewing the pages.

Conclusion

Food access and security are topics beginning to gain attention both at the national and local level. And although they are concerns for people from a wide variety of demographics there are specific groups of people that are faced with lack of access and food security at greater levels. While at the national and state level the majority of people facing food security have income less than 185% of the poverty level, and are therefore eligible for national nutrition programs, this is not the case in the Capital Region where the greatest percentage of the food insecure population has an income above this level. This signifies that food security is not just about affordability, but also creating greater access in the Capital Region. Among those hardest hit are children and non-English speaking populations. These are key customer segments that the Virtual Veggie Mobile should aim to reach through targeted marketing strategies. The prevalence of smartphones has helped to create equality among those who have access to internet meaning that the Virtual Veggie Mobile will be able to reach a wide swath of the aforementioned customer segments, regardless of their physical location. Since there may exist cultural boundaries, the use of community ambassadors can help to reach individuals who may not otherwise be aware of the services of the Virtual Veggie Mobile.

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Appendices

Tables

Table 1: 2014 Federal Poverty Guidelines for the Contiguous United States.* Adapted using data from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services 2014 Poverty Guidelines.150 These guidelines show the income levels, which determine eligibility for SNAP (130%) and other federal nutrition programs, like WIC (185%). Recipients must have an income equal to or less than the ones listed below in order to receive benefits. Most people facing food insecurity in the Capital Region have incomes greater than 185% and are not eligible for federal nutrition program benefits.

Size of Household (persons)

Federal Poverty Guideline

130% Above Poverty Line

185% Above Poverty Line

1 $11,670 $15,171 $21,589.502 $15,730 $20,449 $29,100.503 $19,790 $25,727 $36,611.504 $23,850 $31,005 $44,122.505 $27,910 $36,283 $51,633.506 $31,970 $41,561 $59,144.507 $36,030 $46,839 $66,655.508 $40,090 $52,117 $75,681.65For families larger than 8, add $4,060 for each additional person . *Above guidelines are for those living in the contiguous United States. Guidelines for Alaska and Hawaii may be found at http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/14poverty.cfm

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Figures

2007 2008 2009 2010 20110.0%

2.0%

4.0%

6.0%

8.0%

10.0%

12.0%

14.0%

16.0%

Percent of Food Insecure Households in US 2007-2011

Food Insecure Low Food Security Very Low Food Security

Figure 1: Percent of Food Insecure Households in US 2007-2011. Adapted from the United Way of the Greater Capital Region.151

2007 2008 2009 2010 20110.0%

2.0%

4.0%

6.0%

8.0%

10.0%

12.0%

14.0%

16.0%

Percent of Food Insecure Households in Capital Region 2007-2011

Food Insecure Low Food Security Very Low Food Security

Figure 2: Percent of Food Insecure Households in the Capital Region 2007-2011. Adapted from the United Way of the Greater Capital Region.152 The most noticeable difference between Figures 1 and 2 can be seen in the volatility of food security in the Capital Region. Although a marked increase can be seen from 2007 to 2008, levels of food security remain steady in the subsequent years. The Capital Region saw this same increase, although with a much greater increase. Also of note is that from 2009 to 2010 there was a greater percentage of people in the Capital Region faced with very low food security than low food security. With available information it is hard to say what caused the volatility, but it does suggest the Capital Region is in need of a food system that can easily react to changing demographics.

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Capital Region National New York State0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

35%

55%

45%

17% 16% 19%

48%

29%36%

Food Insecurity by Income

Below Snap Threshold (130% poverty)Between 130-185% poverty% above other nutrition program threshold (185% poverty)

Figure 3: Food Insecurity by Income Level. Adapted from the United Way of the Greater Capital Region.153 The Capital Region has a smaller percentage of residents facing food insecurity than either the state of New York or the United States. This does not, however, mean that food insecurity is not an issue. What stands out about food security in the Capital Region is who is affected. Unlike at the state or federal level the greatest percentage of people facing food insecurity, 48 percent, are those making 185% or more above the poverty level. This difference is important as it points to issues of food access not just affordability.

1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 20140

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

9000

17552410

2746 2863 31373706

4385 46855274

6132

71757864 8144 8268

Farmers Market Directory Listings

Figure 4: Farmers Market Directory Listings. Adapted from USDA/AMS marketing Services Division. The prevalence of farmers markets has increased drastically over the past two decades with an almost five-fold increase in 20 years. Although the number of markets has increased, they tend to be clustered in the same neighborhoods, usually ones with higher income residents. The increased number of overall markets may give an incorrect perception of greater food access and equality.

23

C i t y o f A l b a n y

A l b a n y C o u n t y

T r o y

R e n s s e l a e r C o u n t y

C i t y o f S c h e n e c t a d y

S c h e n e c t a d y C o u n t y

N e w Y o r k S t a t e

U n i t e d S t a t e s

5.5%5.0%

6.4%5.4%

7.5%5.8%

6.0%

6.3%

17.9%19.0%

20.2%20.4%

24.4%22.1%

22.3%

23.3%

Percentage of Children in Capital Region, by City and County

Percent of population under 5 Percent of population under 18

Figure 5: Percentage of Children in Capital Region, by City and County. Adapted using data from the US Census Bureau Fact Finder, 2010. The large percentage of the population that is under the age of 18 signifies a market that is disproportionately affected by food marketing of HFSS and EDNP foods.

2009 2010 2011 2012 20130%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Percentage of Cell Users who Access Email and Internet on their Phones

Email Internet Total Cell Internet Use

Figure 6: Percentage of Cell Users who Access Email and Internet on their Phones. Adapted using data from the Pew Research Center.154 The advent of the smartphone added a new dimension of equality in internet usage. With increased affordability since their initial release, more and more Americans are able to access the internet through their phones using either existing wireless signals, or through a data. In just four years the percentage of Americans who access the internet through their phone more than doubled from 31 to 63 percent.

24

Maps

Map 1: Albany and Rensselaer County Food Deserts 2010. Reproduced from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas.155

Map 2: Albany and Rensselaer Food Deserts 2014. Reproduced from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas.156 From 2010 (Map 1) to 2014 the number of food deserts in and around the city of Albany declined by one US census tract. Although three census tracts in downtown Albany lost their designation as food deserts, four census tracts in the more rural Rensselaer County gained the designation including two in census

25

tracts within the city of Troy. This shows an ever shifting demographic and further highlights the need for flexible food access, such as is available through Capital Roots’ Virtual Veggie Mobile.

Map 3: Schenectady Food Deserts 2010. Reproduced from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas.157

Map 4: Schenectady Food Deserts 2014. Reproduced from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas.158 When comparing the city of Schenectady’s food deserts from 2010-2014 the total number of census tracts

26

remained the same. Looking at the maps though shows shifts in census tract designations, and that the total area designated as a food desert expanded in the four year period.

Map 5: Albany and Rensselaer Veggie Mobile Stops. Reproduced from Google Maps 2014.

Map 6: Schenectady Veggie Mobile Stops. Reproduced from Google Maps 2014.

27

1 Oran B Hesterman, Fair Food Growing a Healthy, Sustainable Food System for All (New York: PublicAffairs, 2011), http://public.eblib.com/EBLPublic/PublicView.do?ptiID=927790.2 Jerry Shannon, “What Does SNAP Benefit Usage Tell Us about Food Access in Low-Income Neighborhoods?,” Social Science & Medicine 107 (April 2014): 89–99, doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2014.02.021.3 Kathleen Y. Li et al., “Evaluation of the Placement of Mobile Fruit and Vegetable Vendors to Alleviate Food Deserts in New York City,” Preventing Chronic Disease 11, no. E158 (September 2014).4 Celia Larson et al., “Development of a Community-Sensitive Strategy to Increase Availability of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables in Nashville’s Urban Food Deserts, 2010-2012,” Preventing Chronic Disease 10 (July 25, 2013), doi:10.5888/pcd10.130008.5 “Creating Access to Healthy, Affordable Food,” Government, USDA Agricultural Marketing Services, (n.d.), http://apps.ams.usda.gov/fooddeserts/fooddeserts.aspx.6 Ibid.7 Ibid.8 Ibid.9 Per Pinstrup-Andersen, “Food Security: Definition and Measurement,” Food Security 1, no. 1 (February 1, 2009): 5–7, doi:10.1007/s12571-008-0002-y.10 Coming to Terms with Terminology: Food Security, Nutrition Security, Food Security and Nutrition, Food and Nutrition Security (Rome, Italy: Committee on World Food Security, September 2012).11 Angela Hilmers et al., “Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Participation Did Not Help Low Income Hispanic Women in Texas Meet the Dietary Guidelines,” Preventive Medicine 62 (May 2014): 44–48, doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2014.01.016.12 Shannon, “What Does SNAP Benefit Usage Tell Us about Food Access in Low-Income Neighborhoods?”13 Ibid.14 Jennifer A. Mello et al., “How Is Food Insecurity Associated with Dietary Behaviors? An Analysis with Low-Income, Ethnically Diverse Participants in a Nutrition Intervention Study,” Journal of the American Dietetic Association 110, no. 12 (December 2010): 1906–11, doi:10.1016/j.jada.2010.09.011.15 Ibid.16 Helen Lee, “The Role of Local Food Availability in Explaining Obesity Risk among Young School-Aged Children,” Social Science & Medicine 74 (2012): 1193–1203.17 Steven Cummins, Ellen Flint, and Stephen A. Matthews, “New Neighborhood Grocery Store Increased Awareness Of Food Access But Did Not Alter Dietary Habits Or Obesity,” Health Affairs 33, no. 2 (February 1, 2014): 283–91, doi:10.1377/hlthaff.2013.0512.18 Ibid.19 “First Lady Michelle Obama Announces Nationwide Commitments to Provide Millions of People Access to Healthy, Affordable Food in Underserved Communities,” The White House, accessed December 1, 2014, http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/07/20/first-lady-michelle-obama-announces-nationwide-commitments-provide-milli.20 Cummins, Flint, and Matthews, “New Neighborhood Grocery Store Increased Awareness Of Food Access But Did Not Alter Dietary Habits Or Obesity.”21 Shannon, “What Does SNAP Benefit Usage Tell Us about Food Access in Low-Income Neighborhoods?”22 Elizabeth Whalen and Michael Seserman, Looking for an Oasis in a Food Desert: Low Income New Yorkers Lack Access to Healthy Food, October 2011.23 Lee, “The Role of Local Food Availability in Explaining Obesity Risk among Young School-Aged Children.”24 Shannon, “What Does SNAP Benefit Usage Tell Us about Food Access in Low-Income Neighborhoods?”25 Lee, “The Role of Local Food Availability in Explaining Obesity Risk among Young School-Aged Children.”26 Shira Gans, Food for Thought: A Case Study of Walmart’s Impact on Harlem’s Healthy Food Retail Landscape (Manhattan, NY: Office of the Manhattan Borough President, November 2011).27 Hesterman, Fair Food Growing a Healthy, Sustainable Food System for All.28 Gans, Food for Thought: A Case Study of Walmart’s Impact on Harlem’s Healthy Food Retail Landscape.29 Shannon, “What Does SNAP Benefit Usage Tell Us about Food Access in Low-Income Neighborhoods?”30 Gans, Food for Thought: A Case Study of Walmart’s Impact on Harlem’s Healthy Food Retail Landscape.31 Food Security in the Greater Capital Region, Basic Needs Research (United Way, March 2013).32 Ibid.33 Sarah Treuhaft and Allison Karpyn, The Grocery Gap: Who Has Access to Healthy Food and Why It Matters (Oakland, California: The Food Trust and PolicyLink, 2010).34 Whalen and Seserman, Looking for an Oasis in a Food Desert: Low Income New Yorkers Lack Access to Healthy Food.35 Shannon, “What Does SNAP Benefit Usage Tell Us about Food Access in Low-Income Neighborhoods?”36 Whalen and Seserman, Looking for an Oasis in a Food Desert: Low Income New Yorkers Lack Access to Healthy Food.37 Capital District Community Gardens Annual Report 2013 (Troy, NY: Capital District Community Gardens, 2013).38 Capital District Community Gardens, “Announcing: ‘The Virtual Veggie Mobile,’” 2013.39 Capital District Community Gardens, “On-Line Market Pilot Program: The Virtual Veggie Mobile,” 2011.

40 Hesterman, Fair Food Growing a Healthy, Sustainable Food System for All.41 Li et al., “Evaluation of the Placement of Mobile Fruit and Vegetable Vendors to Alleviate Food Deserts in New York City.”42 Ibid.43 Quarterly Retail E-Commerce Sales 3rd Quarter 2014, U.S. Census Bureau News (U.S. Department of Commerce, November 18, 2014).44 “Value Picks in Brooklyn Market | Good Eggs,” accessed December 5, 2014, https://www.goodeggs.com/nyc/values.45 “Baltimarket | Baltimore City Health Department,” accessed December 5, 2014, http://health.baltimorecity.gov/programs/baltimarket.46 Laura Flamm, “Baltimore City’s Baltimarket Programs: When Food Deserts Become Just Desserts” (presented at the New Partners for Smart Growth, Baltimore, Maryland, 2014).47 Tim O’Brien, “Whole Foods Plans Multiple Stores in Capital Region,” Times Union, June 5, 2014, http://www.timesunion.com/business/article/Whole-Foods-plans-multiple-stores-in-Capital-5529627.php.48 Erin Shaw, Whole Foods Market Analysis (Poultney, VT: Green Mountain College, July 14, 2014).49 Claudia Grisales, “Whole Foods Launches National Grocery Delivery, Pickup Service,” September 8, 2014, http://www.statesman.com/news/business/whole-foods-launches-national-grocery-delivery-pic/nhHtg/.50 Tracie McMillan, “What Happened When Whole Foods Tried to Challenge Elitism, Racism, and Obesity in Detroit,” Slate Magazine, November 19, 2014, http://www.slate.com/articles/life/food/2014/11/whole_foods_detroit_can_a_grocery_store_really_fight_elitism_racism_and.html.51 “No More Supermarkets?: Major Grocers Flee Detroit,” Tell Me More (Detroit: NPR, August 3, 2007), http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12477872.52 Shaw, Whole Foods Market Analysis.53 McMillan, “What Happened When Whole Foods Tried to Challenge Elitism, Racism, and Obesity in Detroit.”54 Sandra K. Danzinger et al., Food Insecurity in the Detroit Metropolitan Area Following the Great Recession, Policy Brief (Ann Arbor, MI: National Poverty Center, January 2014), http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/36/36001.html.55 McMillan, “What Happened When Whole Foods Tried to Challenge Elitism, Racism, and Obesity in Detroit.”56 Ibid.57 Ibid.58 Sarah Gordon, “Heldeberg Market,” accessed November 24, 2014, http://www.farmiemarket.com/HeldebergMarket/index.php?route=common/home.59 “FarmieMarket Uses Value-Added Producer Grant to Expand Online Healthy Food Access | National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition,” National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, October 8, 2014, http://sustainableagriculture.net/blog/vapg-series-farmiemarket/.60 Tamara Dubowitz et al., “Individual and Neighborhood Differences in Diet among Low-Income Foreign and U.S.-Born Women,” Women’s Health Issues : Official Publication of the Jacobs Institute of Women’s Health 18, no. 3 (2008): 181–90, doi:10.1016/j.whi.2007.11.001.61 Jerome D. Williams et al., “The Role of Food Culture and Marketing Activity in Health Disparities,” Preventive Medicine 55, no. 5 (November 2012): 382–86, doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2011.12.021.62 Ibid.63 Dubowitz et al., “Individual and Neighborhood Differences in Diet among Low-Income Foreign and U.S.-Born Women.”64 Hilmers et al., “Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Participation Did Not Help Low Income Hispanic Women in Texas Meet the Dietary Guidelines.”65 Dubowitz et al., “Individual and Neighborhood Differences in Diet among Low-Income Foreign and U.S.-Born Women.”66 Ibid.67 “Albany County QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau,” Government, United States Census Bureaus, (2013), http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/36/36001.html.68 “Schenectady County QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau,” Government, United States Census Bureaus, (2013), http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/36/36001.html.69 Danzinger et al., Food Insecurity in the Detroit Metropolitan Area Following the Great Recession.70 Lynette A. Rawlings et al., Immigrant Integration in Low-Inome Urban Neighborhoods: Improving Economic Prospects and Strengthening Connections for Vulnerable Families (Baltimore, Maryland: The Urban Institute, 2007).71 Ibid.72 Ibid.73 Ibid.74 Maree Scully et al., “Association between Food Marketing Exposure and Adolescents’ Food Choices and Eating Behaviors,” Appetite 58, no. 1 (February 2012): 1–5, doi:10.1016/j.appet.2011.09.020.75 “USA QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau,” Government, United States Census Bureaus, (2013), http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/36/36001.html.76 Scully et al., “Association between Food Marketing Exposure and Adolescents’ Food Choices and Eating Behaviors.”

77 “Schenectady County QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau.”78 “Albany County QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau.”79 “Rensselaer County QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau,” Government, United States Census Bureaus, (2013), http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/36/36001.html.80 Lee, “The Role of Local Food Availability in Explaining Obesity Risk among Young School-Aged Children.”81 Ibid.82 Georgina Cairns et al., “Systematic Reviews of the Evidence on the Nature, Extent and Effects of Food Marketing to Children. A Retrospective Summary,” Appetite 62 (March 2013): 209–15, doi:10.1016/j.appet.2012.04.017.83 Whalen and Seserman, Looking for an Oasis in a Food Desert: Low Income New Yorkers Lack Access to Healthy Food.84 Dubowitz et al., “Individual and Neighborhood Differences in Diet among Low-Income Foreign and U.S.-Born Women.”85 David Luna, Laura A. Peracchio, and María Dolores de Juan, “The Impact of Language and Congruity on Persuasion in Multicultural E-Marketing,” Journal of Consumer Psychology, Consumers in Cyberspace, 13, no. 1–2 (2003): 41–50, doi:10.1207/S15327663JCP13-1&2_04.86 Williams et al., “The Role of Food Culture and Marketing Activity in Health Disparities.”87 David Luna and Laura Peracchio, “Advertising to Bilingual Customers: The Impact of Code-Switching on Persuasion,” Journal of Consumer Reaearch 31, no. 4 (March 2005): 760–65.88 Luna, Peracchio, and Dolores de Juan, “The Impact of Language and Congruity on Persuasion in Multicultural E-Marketing.”89 Williams et al., “The Role of Food Culture and Marketing Activity in Health Disparities.”90 Ibid.91 Mello et al., “How Is Food Insecurity Associated with Dietary Behaviors?”92 Dong-Hee Shin, Jaemin Jung, and Byeng-Hee Chang, “The Psychology behind QR Codes: User Experience Perspective,” Computers in Human Behavior 28, no. 4 (July 2012): 1417–26, doi:10.1016/j.chb.2012.03.004.93 Ibid.94 Maeve Duggan and Aaron Smith, Cell Internet Use 2013 (Washington D.C.: Pew Research Center, September 16, 2013), http://www.pewinternet.org/2013/09/16/main-findings-2/.95 Ibid.96 Ibid.97 Mobile Trends in Low Income Communities (WillowTree Apps, October 1, 2012).98 Duggan and Smith, Cell Internet Use 2013.99 Shin, Jung, and Chang, “The Psychology behind QR Codes.”100 Maria Teresa Pinheiro Melo Borges Tiago and José Manuel Cristóvão Veríssimo, “Digital Marketing and Social Media: Why Bother?,” Business Horizons, SPECIAL ISSUE: INBAM, 57, no. 6 (November 2014): 703–8, doi:10.1016/j.bushor.2014.07.002.101 Lauren N. Tobey and Melinda M. Manore, “Social Media and Nutrition Education: The Food Hero Experience,” Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior 46, no. 2 (March 2014): 128–33, doi:10.1016/j.jneb.2013.09.013.102 Efthymios Constantinides, “Foundations of Social Media Marketing,” Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2nd International Conference on Strategic Innovative Marketing, 148 (August 25, 2014): 40–57, doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.07.016.103 Shin, Jung, and Chang, “The Psychology behind QR Codes.”104 Tiago and Veríssimo, “Digital Marketing and Social Media.”105 Shin, Jung, and Chang, “The Psychology behind QR Codes.”106 Tobey and Manore, “Social Media and Nutrition Education.”107 Barbara Lohse, “Facebook Is an Effective Strategy to Recruit Low-Income Women to Online Nutrition Education,” Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior 45, no. 1 (January 2013): 69–76, doi:10.1016/j.jneb.2012.06.006.108 Tobey and Manore, “Social Media and Nutrition Education.”109 Tiago and Veríssimo, “Digital Marketing and Social Media.”110 Shin, Jung, and Chang, “The Psychology behind QR Codes.”111 Tiago and Veríssimo, “Digital Marketing and Social Media.”112 Kathryn Zickhur and Aaron Smith, Digital Differences, Pew Internet (Washington D.C.: Pew Research Center, April 13, 2012).113 “Municipal Wireless Network,” Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, December 6, 2014, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Municipal_wireless_network&oldid=635277545.114 “Library HotSpot Loan Program,” Brooklyn Public Library, accessed December 6, 2014, http://www.bklynlibrary.org/mifi.115 Tiago and Veríssimo, “Digital Marketing and Social Media.”116 Lohse, “Facebook Is an Effective Strategy to Recruit Low-Income Women to Online Nutrition Education.”117 Tobey and Manore, “Social Media and Nutrition Education.”118 Lohse, “Facebook Is an Effective Strategy to Recruit Low-Income Women to Online Nutrition Education.”119 Tobey and Manore, “Social Media and Nutrition Education.”120 Lohse, “Facebook Is an Effective Strategy to Recruit Low-Income Women to Online Nutrition Education.”

121 Zickhur and Smith, Digital Differences.122 Scully et al., “Association between Food Marketing Exposure and Adolescents’ Food Choices and Eating Behaviors.”123 Ibid.124 Cairns et al., “Systematic Reviews of the Evidence on the Nature, Extent and Effects of Food Marketing to Children. A Retrospective Summary.”125 Tirtha Dhar and Kathy Baylis, “Fast Food Consumption and the Ban on Advertising Targeting Children: The Quebec Experience,” Journal of Marketing Research, 2011.126 Scully et al., “Association between Food Marketing Exposure and Adolescents’ Food Choices and Eating Behaviors.”127 Ibid.128 Cairns et al., “Systematic Reviews of the Evidence on the Nature, Extent and Effects of Food Marketing to Children. A Retrospective Summary.”129 Dhar and Baylis, “Fast Food Consumption and the Ban on Advertising Targeting Children: The Quebec Experience.”130 Whalen and Seserman, Looking for an Oasis in a Food Desert: Low Income New Yorkers Lack Access to Healthy Food.131 Dhar and Baylis, “Fast Food Consumption and the Ban on Advertising Targeting Children: The Quebec Experience.”132 Cairns et al., “Systematic Reviews of the Evidence on the Nature, Extent and Effects of Food Marketing to Children. A Retrospective Summary.”133 Flamm, “Baltimore City’s Baltimarket Programs: When Food Deserts Become Just Desserts.”134 Ibid.135. Madina Agenor, Kate Pettitt, and Geraldine Henchy, “Making WIC Work for Multicultural Communities: Best Practices in Outreach and Nutrition Education” (Food Reserach And Action Center, 2009).136 McMillan, “What Happened When Whole Foods Tried to Challenge Elitism, Racism, and Obesity in Detroit.”137 Flamm, “Baltimore City’s Baltimarket Programs: When Food Deserts Become Just Desserts.”138 Rowena L. Briones et al., “Keeping up with the Digital Age: How the American Red Cross Uses Social Media to Build Relationships,” Public Relations Review 37, no. 1 (March 2011): 37–43, doi:10.1016/j.pubrev.2010.12.006.139 Ibid.140 Kristen Lovejoy, Richard D. Waters, and Gregory D. Saxton, “Engaging Stakeholders through Twitter: How Nonprofit Organizations Are Getting More out of 140 Characters or Less,” Public Relations Review, Strategically Managing International Communication in the 21st Century, 38, no. 2 (June 2012): 313–18, doi:10.1016/j.pubrev.2012.01.005.141 Richard D. Waters et al., “Engaging Stakeholders through Social Networking: How Nonprofit Organizations Are Using Facebook,” Public Relations Review 35, no. 2 (June 2009): 102–6, doi:10.1016/j.pubrev.2009.01.006.142 Ibid.143 Giselle A. Auger, “Fostering Democracy through Social Media: Evaluating Diametrically Opposed Nonprofit Advocacy Organizations’ Use of Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube,” Public Relations Review, Public Relations and Democracy, 39, no. 4 (November 2013): 369–76, doi:10.1016/j.pubrev.2013.07.013.144 Dana Howard, W. Glynn Mangold, and Tim Johnston, “Managing Your Social Campaign Strategy Using Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube & Pinterest: An Interview with Dana Howard, Social Media Marketing Manager,” Business Horizons 57, no. 5 (September 2014): 657–65, doi:10.1016/j.bushor.2014.05.001.145 Lovejoy, Waters, and Saxton, “Engaging Stakeholders through Twitter.”146 Ibid.147 Ibid.148 Howard, Mangold, and Johnston, “Managing Your Social Campaign Strategy Using Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube & Pinterest.”149 “Social Media Management Plans & Pricing,” Sprout Social, accessed December 15, 2014, http://sproutsocial.com/pricing.150 “2014 Poverty Guideline,” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2014, http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/14poverty.cfm.151 Food Security in the Greater Capital Region.152 Ibid.153 Ibid.154 Duggan and Smith, Cell Internet Use 2013.155 “Food Access Research Atlas” (Economic Research Service (ERS), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), n.d.), http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-access-research-atlas.aspx.156 Ibid.157 Ibid.158 Ibid.