Below is a photo-essay of our Good. To Go. corner store conversion. We help take a neighborhood grocery and fill it with the food that neighborhood residents need to stay healthy and fit. The Good. To Go. initiative is changing the food landscape of San Jose and it’s officially launching September 17, 2014.
## Enjoy the photos ##
Good. To Go. encourages healthy food purchases by presenting them as “Fun. Fast. Fresh” – And here, La Codenza store owner Elena, “high-fives” Albert Beltran Jr. of the Hispanic Chamber after seeing the Good. To go. logo finally in place. The Health Trust’s, Director of Healthy Eating, Erin Healy, helps stock 21 new types of produce and fresh food under our Good. To Go. healthy eating initiative.The Good. To Go.campaign makes the healthy choice the easy choice by offering attractive, affordable fresh produce and other healthy foods that appeal to consumers’ needs for convenience and quality.Good. To go. is all about Fun, Fast and Fresh!FUN: Carrot sticks with dipFUN: Flavored almond snack packsFAST: Quick bite-sized servings of fruit to grab on the runFRESH: Vendors will offer whole, uncut fresh produce, such as options available on Fresh Carts, as well as blended fruit in juices, smoothies, and salads at select cornerstores and markets.To qualify as a member of the San Jose, Good. To Go. healthy corner store network; store owners choose two healthy food categories to introduce or expand within their establishment.So Carmina, the owner of La Codenza, picked a couple new kinds of fresh produce, or dairy, or whole grains, or protein heavy foods to add to her inventory.The Hispanic Chamber is then providing business consulting to incorporate the heavy local flavor of the market’s current inventory. Fresh food, next to the fresh spices for instance.
One of the ideas behind coordinating and labeling food Good. To Go. is that a busy parent or consumer can dash in after work and grab a handful of food that pretty much anyone can make a meal out of.
Getting people to alter their patterns of shopping AND eating is no easy feat. So along with the fresh foods, spices and dry goods, Good. To Go. offers simple recipes in each display to help with preparation.
See, in neighborhoods that don’t have supermarkets, residents frequently shop at small markets and convenience stores. These stores often stock many high-sodium, high-fat snack foods and sugary beverages but carry little or no fresh produce or other healthy foods.
The Good.To Go. Corner Store campaign is officially launching September 17, 2014 in conjunction with The Health Trust, the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Silicon Valley and Working Partnerships.
The Good. To Go. initiative also provides equipment and technical assistance to store owners who agree to carry fresh produce and other healthy items.
Alberto began canvassing stores to host the campaign near the first of the year and his relationships with the store owners shows even when we’re all hanging out putting on stickers.
And Elena the store owner at La Codenza admits she likes the way the marketing looks on her cooler.
Over at Emit’s on Alameda Rd. the folks from the San Jose Hispanic Chamber of Commerce have the produce baskets all lined up and waiting for the first big delivery.
While we await the produce delivery, Yacanex Posadas and Albert Beltran Jr. empty a cooler full of soda and replace it with eggs and other fresh food.
Program Manager at the Hispanic Chamber, Emma Gonzalez, stocks fresh peppers at Emit’s on Alameda Rd. “It’s like working at a cannery,” Emma says, evening out the pile of peppers. Emma’s mom worked at a local cannery for years before retiring.
Emma gets some help from Juan Vila, who helped establish a similar program in Philadelphia.That program is a resounding success and Alberto, from the Hispanic Chamber, immediately credits Juan with the early success Good. To Go. has seen so far here in San Jose, California.
It takes a bit of time, but this is what it looks like when they’re done.The HispanicChamber even had the green and white stand made and installed in Emit’s specifically for the new produce.
Once the produce stands and coolers are set up, the Good. To Go. team wanders the store finding fast. fun. fresh and generally healthy items to tag.
Helping people make more healthful choices for themselves and their family is no easy task.
That’s why so much branding and labeling goes into announcing which items are “Approved” and Good. To Go.
Even choosing a quick, cold non-sugar-filled beverage should be easier with the Good. To Go. tags.
And this is just the beginning, as Albert shows us another store conversion we hadn’t yet seen. Converted stores are likely coming to a neighborhood near you, so Use our Good. To Go. Map (https://healthtrust.org/our-work/eat-well/healthy-food-map/) to find participating corner stores.
The Health Trust’s, Director of Healthy Eating, Erin Healy, helps stock 21 new types of produce and fresh food under our Good. To Go. healthy eating initiative. 
The Good. To Go.campaign makes the healthy choice the easy choice by offering attractive, affordable fresh produce and other healthy foods that appeal to consumers’ needs for convenience and quality. 
Good. To go. is all about Fun, Fast and Fresh! 
FUN: Carrot sticks with dip 
FUN: Flavored almond snack packs 
FAST: Quick bite-sized servings of fruit to grab on the run 
FRESH: Vendors will offer whole, uncut fresh produce, such as options available on Fresh Carts, as well as blended fruit in juices, smoothies, and salads at select cornerstores and markets. 
To qualify as a member of the San Jose, Good. To Go. healthy corner store network; store owners choose two healthy food categories to introduce or expand within their establishment. 
So Carmina, the owner of La Codenza, picked a couple new kinds of fresh produce, or dairy, or whole grains, or protein heavy foods to add to her inventory. 
The Hispanic Chamber is then providing business consulting to incorporate the heavy local flavor of the market’s current inventory. Fresh food, next to the fresh spices for instance.
It takes a bit of time, but this is what it looks like when they’re done.The HispanicChamber even had the green and white stand made and installed in Emit’s specifically for the new produce.
