Government grants to encourage corner shops to stock more fresh fruit and vegetables are to be trialled as part of a campaign to persuade people to eat more healthily, the Department of Health will announce today.

It is hoped that the pilot scheme, aimed at small shopkeepers in deprived areas, will help tackle the growing problem of obesity. The shops will be offered grants to buy shelving, chiller cabinets and promotional materials to wean people away from a diet of ready meals and chips.

The department said it selected north-east England due to its "poor general health record compared to other parts of the country." The region also had some excellent primary care trusts, which are responsible for public health campaigns, and a good distribution of convenience stores.

A spokeswoman said: "We are looking for stores in deprived areas that do not currently sell fruit and veg and/or stores in less deprived areas where there are limited places to buy fruit and veg.

"We are relying on the convenience store groups to identify stores that meet these criteria and we'll then check to make sure we've got a good mix across the region."

The department has set aside £600,000 over the next three years to provide the grants and pay the salary of a project coordinator, who will help shopkeepers maximise profits and minimise waste.

It said: "The healthy stores initiative will not mean that shopkeepers will stop selling crisps, sweets, fizzy drinks and other unhealthy snacks. They will just make room for and promote more fresh fruit and vegetables.

"Obesity is the biggest health challenge we face. It causes 9,000 people to die prematurely every year. It costs the NHS £4.2bn and the economy £16bn per year."

The spokeswoman acknowledged that the department had not done a count of shops to establish that people in the north-east had the least chance of observing the government's message to eat five portions of fruit and veg a day. But officials knew the region had plenty of neighbourhoods that could be regarded as vegetable-free zones.

She said the corner shop initiative will be branded with the logo of Change4Life, "a government-led movement that will help everyone change the way they live and live healthier lives".

Ivan Lewis, the health minister, said: "We know that families in some communities still use the corner shop on a daily basis for their food and other household goods. It is therefore essential we take healthy eating options to these stores and reach those families who are at the greatest risk of poor health due to a poor diet.

"Consumer habits are shifting. People shop around at different outlets several times a week, so it's important that people have the opportunity to buy fresh fruit and vegetables where it is convenient for them."

The department hopes to sign up the first 120 stores by next May. It has modelled the scheme on an experiment in Scotland, where more than 500 stores participated. The grant-aided shopkeepers said their profits rose by at least 20%.