Healthy quick-fixes

7-Eleven stores weigh in on the fight against obesity

By Kim Carlson

January 29, 2007

The grandfather of the American convenience store, 7-Eleven, has announced that it will immediately begin selling more healthy food — at least at some stores.

Although such 7-Eleven staples as beer, soda, and cigarettes will not disappear, they will be joined by sandwiches made on whole-grain bread, fresh salads, and fruit cups featuring grapes, cut-up watermelon or pineapple, or strawberries. Someone’s even cooking up “fresh-made” chicken soup for the stores.

That’s good news, both for those who visit 7-Eleven on a regular basis (for some, it may be their only local grocery store) and for those who don’t go at all because they can’t find anything they want to eat there.

However, I think it really would be news if 7-Eleven sourced its fruit and veg — even the chickens! — from local growers when possible.