Formal and informal agreements between small food stores and food and beverage suppliers: Store owner perspectives from four cities

Objective: To understand the agreements between small food store owners and food and beverage suppliers and how they shape stocking and promotion of unhealthy products. Design: 72 in-depth interviews. Setting: Four US cities (Baltimore, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Durham, San Diego). Subjects: Owner/managers of small food stores. Results: Most owners had informal agreements with food/beverage suppliers, including reduced costs of specific foods, tied to sales; and provision of brand-dedicated display racks and refrigerators/freezers. Informal agreements were used as a form of control by some suppliers. Conclusions: Understanding agreements between small food stores and food/beverage suppliers is needed for intervention and policy development.