Virtual Supermarket Program: Bringing Groceries to Food Desert Communities in Baltimore City

INTRODUCTION: The Virtual Supermarket Program (VSP) demonstrates that online grocery delivery is a viable solution to bring healthy and affordable food options to low-income food desert neighborhoods. METHODS: The VSP enables residents to place grocery orders at their local library, elementary school, senior/disabled housing building or even from their own computer to be picked up at their community site for no delivery cost. VSP staff provides assistance to residents without computer access or experience. Residents can pay for their groceries using cash, credit, debit and EBT/SNAP. To encourage healthy eating, the program provides recipe cards, healthy cooking demonstrations, and a $10 incentive coupon for healthy food. RESULTS: We anticipate having more than 250 customers, 1,500 orders, and $25,000 worth of groceries purchased by September 2012. We hope to demonstrate that over 80% of our customers indicate that the VSP has improved their access to healthy and affordable foods. The VSP demonstrates how a public-private partnership between a health department and an independent grocer can bring groceries to food desert communities. To date, the VSP is the only online grocery delivery program that accepts SNAP. DISCUSSION: Locating supermarkets in low-income neighborhoods is not an option in many areas. The VSP is a solution to not having a store, as it brings high-quality, affordable groceries to the food desert communities, providing residents with the opportunity to purchase healthier foods and make long term diet improvements. The VSP is a replicable model that can be implemented in other urban food desert communities.