March 4, 2025
City Council
DATE: March 4, 2025
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM:
Council Member Jamelia Brown
Mayor Eduardo Martinez (co-sponsor)
Subject:
Presentation from Healthy Options at Point of Sale
(HOPS) Youth Advocates
FINANCIAL IMPACT: None
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
On January 25, 2022, the Council received a report from HOPS youth advocates. In response, the Council
directed the preparation of a draft an ordinance within 60 days, requiring large retail stores to stock healthier items at checkout areas. However, due to transitions and
competing priorities, this directive was not implemented.
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
Retail stores in Richmond heavily promote unhealthy
snacks at checkouts, driving poor nutrition and increasing health risks like obesity and diabetes, particularly in underserved communities. The HOPS Initiative seeks to
address this by requiring large retailers to offer healthier options at checkout, supporting public health, and
promoting consumer choice.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
RECEIVE a presentation from Healthy Options at Point of Sale (HOPS) youth advocates; and DIRECT the City’s
Attorney’s Office to prepare an ordinance within 60 days, requiring large retail stores to stock healthier items at checkout areas - Councilmember Jamelia Brown (510-
412-2050) and Mayor Eduardo Martinez (510-620- 6503).
AGENDA
REPORT
March 4, 2025
DISCUSSION:
On January 25, 2022, Councilmember Gayle McLaughlin introduced an agenda item during the Richmond City Council meeting to address the Healthy Options at Points of Sale (HOPS) initiative (Attachment 2). The agenda report presented at that time highlighted the overwhelming prevalence of unhealthy food and beverage promotions in Richmond’s limited number of full-service grocery stores. Specifically, the report noted that checkout aisles filled with unhealthy options are intentionally designed to encourage impulse purchases of snacks high in salt, saturated fat, and added sugars.
Research has shown that curated food environments in predominantly low-income communities of color contribute to health disparities, increasing the risk of dental cavities, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. To address this issue, the 2022 staff report recommended that the City Council direct staff to draft an ordinance requiring large retail stores to stock healthier food and beverage options at checkout areas.
Since coming before the council, a new cohort of HOPS youth advocates has continued assessing the local food retail landscape and gathering input from residents. Their findings reaffirm the need for a healthier retail environment and support the previously recommended policy action. As a result, this updated report reinforces the call for an ordinance requiring large retail stores to prioritize healthier snack and beverage options at checkout points. It aligns with the City Council’s strategic goal of improving quality of life and community health, which includes Health in All Policies (HiAP)
Moreover, the HOPS initiative aligns similar successful policies adopted in other cities:
In 2020, the Berkeley City Council unanimously passed the Healthy Checkout Ordinance, requiring large retail stores to replace junk foods, candy, and soda in checkout aisles with healthier alternatives containing less added sugar and sodium.
In 2023, the City of Alameda implemented a similar ordinance to promote healthier choices at checkout aisles.
By adopting this ordinance, the City of Richmond has the opportunity to join other Bay Area cities in prioritizing community health, reducing diet-related health risks, and fostering a healthier food retail environment for all residents.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment 1 – Healthy Retail Powerpoint
Attachment 2 – Agenda Report for 1/25/2022