Starting in March, as part of a statewide project, Baker County will be coordinating a survey of retail businesses in the county that sell tobacco and alcohol to see how those products are advertised and displayed.

This is the first time since 2018 that the Oregon Health Authority has done the Tobacco and Alcohol Retail Assessment (TARA).

The statewide survey was canceled during the pandemic and hasn’t been repeated until this year.

Survey teams will be visiting tobacco and alcohol retailers in each of Oregon’s 36 counties.

The data collected from March through June will be incorporated into a statewide and county-level reports that likely will be available to the public in December 2025.

Results from individual stores are not included in the reports.

The purpose is to see how tobacco and alcohol are marketed and sold in retail stores, said Hayley Sanders, community health nurse and tobacco prevention and education program coordinator at the Baker County Health Department.

Teams will focus on stores open to people 18 and younger. The surveys will include the types of tobacco and alcohol products sold, pricing, the amount of storefront advertising for those products, and how close the products are to items popular with childrne, such as candy and gum.

Surveys take about 15 minutes, and the teams will not interfere with shoppers or store employees, according to an information sheet Sanders provided.

In Baker County, teams will visit about 22 retail stores across the county, including convenience stores, groceries, gas stations and other businesses open to children.

Sanders said she and Haley Hueckman, prevention supervisor for New Directions Northwest, will be doing surveys in Baker County.

Sanders said they will have a letter from the Oregon Health Authority, explaining the survey, to hand out to store employees if they’re asked about the purpose of their visit.

• 40% of Baker County businesses surveyed advertised alcohol outside the store (statewide, 50%)

• 91% sold sweet, flavored alcoholic beverages

• 68% sold alcohol within one foot of toys and candy (50%) statewide

• 3 in 5 offered prime promotions on alcohol