WASECA, Minn. – With three times as many convenience stores than supermarkets in the United States, having healthy options to eat at c-stores is essential to helping Americans eat better, the WASECA County News reports. According to Technomic, 53% of consumers said they’d visit c-stores more often if those stores stocked healthier foods.

Many times, rural convenience stores are the only store around for miles to grab bread or milk, making c-stores the logical place to offer healthy options too. Those participating in SNAP also provide a needed service and basic foods.

Chains like Kwik Trip and 7-Eleven work with registered dietitians to slash calories, fat, sodium and sugar in private-label foods and fresh foodservice items, as well as work on nutrition labeling and ways to improve access to healthy foods. More than a thousand other retailers have also made it a priority to stock healthful options.

NACS’s healthy initiatives offers retailers proven ways to implement healthy choices into their stores. Check out “Ideas That Work to Grow Better-for-you Sales” and “8 Ways to Grow Healthy Sales” from NACS Magazine.