Contra Costa County, CA, advances nation's first county-level healthy checkout policy

Contra Costa County, California, will likely become the first county to pass an ordinance improving the nutritional quality of the foods and beverages sold in the only place in the grocery store where customers must pass through and wait: the checkout aisles. The county’s Board of Supervisors unanimously passed the policy on first reading yesterday afternoon which will require grocery stores in the county to swap out snacks and drinks high in sodium or added sugar at checkout aisles with healthier alternatives. The Board is scheduled to consider final passage on October 7.

This policy was passed due to years of advocacy led by youth advocates working with Bay Area Community Resources and community leaders who’ve worked tirelessly to bring the Healthy Retail Ordinance to the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors. Their work is a powerful example of what grassroots advocacy can accomplish—shifting policies to prioritize community health, especially in neighborhoods long impacted by food and nutrition inequity. 

This ordinance is about creating environments where everyone has access to healthier options. Recent research found that Berkeley’s healthy checkout policy reduced added sugars, sodium, and saturated fat, and increased fiber in products available at checkout. Healthy checkout policies are a powerful tool to change the food environment and should be considered by advocates and policy makers as a lever for change in their communities to make healthy choices easier.