A partnership between the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach office, Dallas County Public Health and Latino business owners in Perry is teaching local residents how to make healthy, affordable and culturally appropriate meals.

El Rey Meat Market, Oasis Grocery Store and Panaderia Mexico in Perry are all participating in the Healthy Corner Store Initiative.

The local project team facilitated customer surveys and focus groups to find out more about how local residents shop.  Now they are working with the store owners to develop ways to make the customer’s experience better.

Jon Wolseth with ISU Extension Community and Economic Development says they’re helping business owners make produce more visible through changes in store layout and signage, providing free samples of healthy dishes and featuring in-store nutrition education in Spanish.

The initiative is the result of a Dallas County Public Health food system assessment last year.  Future goals for the project include facilitating connections between store owners and local growers.