New legislation proposed by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Rep. Nuydia Velazquez, both of New York, would invest $1 billion in federal loans and grants to help build 2,100 grocery stores in under-served areas throughout the U.S. The proposed Healthy Food Financing Initiative legislation builds on a similar $345 million proposal the Obama Administration has put in its 2011 budget.
In a press conference to introduce the legislation, speakers brought up the link between obesity and related diseases with the lack of access to stores selling nutritious foods. So-called food deserts tend to be populated by fast food restaurants and convenience stores that sell a higher proportion of packaged snacks and sugary drinks.
"We have a health crisis in this country, in terms of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure, that is disproportionately impacting low-income people and communities of color," said Angela Glover Blackwell, founder & CEO of national research and action institute PolicyLink. "Nationally, only eight percent of African Americans currently live in a census tract with a supermarket, and far too many Blacks and Latinos reside in areas underserved by a grocery store. To ensure that people are eating healthy diets, we must push to make healthier choices available in their neighborhoods. With the announcement of this new legislation, we are taking a pro-active step towards expanding fresh food access and creating jobs in communities that have struggled without both for far too long."
Sen. Gillibrand said the bill, if enacted into law, would deliver a number of concrete benefits. Speaking of her home state, she said, "Millions of New Yorkers do not have access to fresh, healthy food. By building new grocery stores in underserved areas across the state we can give people the opportunity to live longer, healthier lives, save billions in health care costs, and create tens of thousands of good-paying jobs."
Discussion Questions: Do you think enactment would help improve the health of consumers in food deserts while creating jobs and business opportunities for grocery store operators? Should the grocery industry and food manufacturers be lobbying for enactment of the Healthy Food Financing Initiative?