NASHVILLE, Tenn. – “I believe one of the secrets of achieving good population health is to make the healthy choice the easy choice,” opines former U.S. Senator Bill Frist (R-TN) in The Tennessean. “It means empowering consumers to make the right choices for themselves and their families by giving them plenty of healthful, convenient options.

Frist, a nationally acclaimed heart and lung transplant surgeon, former U.S. Senate majority leader and honorary vice chairman of the Partnership for a Healthier America, writes that he’s glad companies are investing in community-focused ways of thinking that provide “health outcomes [that are] are long-lasting and powerful.”

In his home state, Nashville-based Tri Star Services’ Twice Daily convenience stores have joined the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) “and nearly 1,000 other convenience store locations nationwide to make healthier choices easier for those on the go,” an announcement made last week at the NACS Show.

“The plan comes at a crucial time for my hometown,” writes Frist, noting that the United Health Foundation found Tennessee to be one of the unhealthiest states in the country.

“Convenience stores are designed to keep things simple for consumers and get them in and out with the products they want in record time. In fact, the average time spent in a convenience store is somewhere between three and four minutes. Prioritizing quick service and healthy options used to be mutually exclusive goals, but increasingly, customers aren’t just looking for convenient options but also healthy ones,” writes Frist.

Since half of Americans frequent a convenience store every day in the United States, the convenience and fuel retailing industry “has a unique opportunity to reach a wide range of consumers,” the former senator says.

Frist continues that Twice Daily has committed “to make real and substantial changes to their 37 stores” over the next few years, ensuring that customers will benefit from enhanced offers of healthier options. “These types of changes don’t eliminate less healthy snacks and drinks from shelves, but instead focus on making it easier for consumers to make healthy choices.”

Millions of people “stand to benefit” from convenience stores committing to health, he writes, adding that changes like these “are vital as we work to spread a culture of health across America. As more companies and partners commit to helping increase the supply of healthier items and leaving consumers with the ability to choose what’s right for them, we’re well on our way.”

For more on the NACS reFresh initiative and free resources to help convenience stores offer healthier foods and beverages, visit nacsonline.com/refresh.