Will grocery stores in Richmond be required to stock only healthy options in their checkout aisles?
On Tuesday, Richmond City Council is scheduled to consider a policy that would prohibit candy, sodas and high-sodium snacks from being displayed in the checkout aisles of stores larger than 2,000 square feet.
What would be allowed at checkout? Beverages with no added sugars or artificial sweeteners, such as milk, water, juices, coffee and tea, and food items with no more than five grams of added sugars and 200 milligrams of sodium per labeled serving, according to the city’s draft ordinance. Prepared foods would be exempted from the requirements.
Since 2022, youth advocates have been calling for the city to install a “Healthy Options at Point-of-Sale” policy at checkout aisles to prevent the marketing of unhealthy foods and drinks. Snacks displayed at checkout are often high in salt and saturated fat and with added sugars.
The city wouldn’t be alone in banning junk food in checkout aisles. In 2020, the City of Berkeley began requiring that grocery stores offer healthier food and beverage options at checkout, limiting placement of sugary snacks and sodas.
Contra Costa County is currently drafting an ordinance for unincorporated areas that was inspired by the Berkeley ordinance and will focus on stores larger than 2,000 square feet.
The draft policy that is in the works for the City of Richmond is modeled after Contra Costa County’s proposed ordinance. City staff is proposing the idea of having the County’s Environmental Health Division, Richmond’s Code Enforcement Division, or a contractor support enforcement of the ordinance.
