Objective: Navajo Nation residents experience extreme rates of poverty, food insecurity and diet-related diseases. While many residents travel far to shop at grocery stores, there are small stores closer to home that could provide more healthy options, like fruits and vegetables (F&V). Little is known from the perspective of store owners and managers regarding the barriers and facilitators to offering F&V; the present study contributes to filling that gap.
Design: Data were collected through structured interviews from a sampling frame of all store owners or managers in the setting (n 29).
Setting: Small stores in Navajo Nation, New Mexico, USA. Navajo Nation is predominantly rural and the largest federally recognized Native American tribe in the USA.
Participants: Sixteen managers and six owners at twenty-two stores.
Results: When asked about the types of foods that were most commonly purchased at their stores, most participants reported snacks and drinks (82 and 68 %, respectively). Many participants reported they would like to offer more fresh F&V. However, barriers included varying perceived customer demand, limited F&V choices from distributors and (for some managers) limited authority over product selection.
Conclusions: Findings contribute to the discussion on engaging store owners and managers in providing quality, healthy foods close to home in low-income, rural regions.
Keywords: Food supply; Fruits and vegetables; Rural; Small stores.