Resources That Empower Local Grocery Solutions
These tools are designed to help communities, store owners, and organizations make informed decisions about grocery access, feasibility, and long-term sustainability. Each resource focuses on a different stage of the process, from early evaluation to capital planning.
GroundTruth- The Grocery Risk Assessment Tool
This tool is a working prototype that allows users to analyze grocery access using live data and a structured scoring system. It is still being refined, but the core functionality is in place and available for testing.
Access currently requires a free account. This helps manage API usage and keep the tool running while it is being developed and funded.
Trade Area Estimator
The ViableFood.org Local Grocery Estimator is a free screening tool that helps community leaders, store owners, and local advocates evaluate the realistic annual sales potential of a proposed grocery store. It is built to provide a clear reality check before significant time or funding is committed, helping identify whether a project is likely to succeed or struggle.
Grocery Startup Capital Requirements
The ViableFood.org Startup Capital Estimator helps community leaders and store operators understand what it actually costs to open a grocery store. It estimates the full capital needed to get the doors open and keep them open, including equipment, inventory, and early operating expenses.
It is designed to prevent one of the most common mistakes in grocery development, starting with too little capital.
Preventing Rural Grocery Closures
Coming Soon!
Grocery Feasibility Basics
Coming Soon!
Capital Planning Worksheet
Coming Soon!
Building a Dynamic Food Access Map
This Illinois map is a working prototype of a larger system designed to track food access as it actually exists, not just how it appears in federal datasets. It brings together multiple data sources to show which communities are stable, which are at risk, and which are already struggling to maintain access.
With the right funding, this tool will expand into a national platform focused on early detection and prevention. Instead of reacting after a store closes, communities will be able to see warning signs in advance and take action. The long term goal is to give local leaders, funders, and organizations a clear and practical way to protect and strengthen grocery access before it is lost.