WASHINGTON – The Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA), which works with the private sector and PHA Honorary Chair First Lady Michelle Obama to make healthier choices easier for busy parents and families, announced that U-Gas, home of GiGi’s Café Express, and Tri Star Services’ Twice Daily, two regional convenience store chains, have signed on to expand healthier options across their stores. The announcement was made at the NACS Show, the convenience and fuel retailing industry’s largest event.

Over the next several years, U-Gas, which has stores in Missouri and Illinois, and Twice Daily convenience stores in Tennessee and Kentucky, are committing to maintain and build upon healthy food choices; continue to make those choices more affordable; and support healthier options through in-store marketing and promotions to meet the needs of the children, families and communities it serves.

“Half of the U.S. population visits a convenience store every single day, and more and more they’re looking for healthier options, which are also more profitable for business,” said PHA CEO Lawrence A. Soler. “As consumer demand continues its shift toward health, U-Gas and Twice Daily are stepping up to ensure their customers have access to those healthier, more affordable options whether they’re grabbing a snack or a meal to go.”

Over the next few years, U-Gas and Twice Daily will work with PHA to expand healthier food offerings, with more fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, healthier packaged foods and healthier made to order or grab and go options. These chains will also focus on in-store promotion of healthier products, as well as other tactics geared toward making the healthy choice the easy choice. Also, in support of PHA’s Drink Up Initiative, both U-Gas and Twice Daily will add the Drink Up logo to all private label water bottles and engage in other marketing activities to encourage more customers to drink water more often.

Five convenience store chains representing nearly 1,000 convenience stores have now committed to PHA to increase access to healthier foods in their stores.

“As an industry, we are committed to making a difference in our customers’ lives, and increasingly that involves providing more healthy options in stores. We look forward to continuing to work with PHA and other like-minded groups to celebrate our members’ commitment to the communities that they serve,” said NACS President and CEO Henry Armour.