In low income communities across the country, the only places to buy food are fast-food and convenience stores that sell fatty, sugary, processed foods. Some communities have no food vendors of any kind. This lack of access to healthy foods makes it difficult for families to eat well, fueling the country’s growing obesity epidemic and the severe health problems that accompany it. Bad food makes for bad economics as well. Communities without full-service grocery retailers also lose out on the benefits these retailers bring: steady jobs, decent wages, and foot traffic that promotes additional commercial activity. Fortunately, scalable solutions are emerging—solutions that can improve health, spark economic development, and help transform underserved communities into communities of opportunities. One of those solutions lies in public-private programs like the innovative Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative (PFFFI). Begun in 2004, the state has invested $30 million, which has supported $165 million in total project investment. The initiatives 78 projects have provided more than 400,000 Pennsylvanians with healthier food choice in their communities and have created or preserved 4,860 jobs and 1.5 million square feet of food retail space. PFFFI’s successful efforts are attracting attention across the country. (For more information on the Pennsylvania and national efforts, please visit: http://www.trfund.com/financing/realestate/NFFFI.html) For more than a year, PolicyLink, The Food Trust, and the Reinvestment Fund have been working with the White House, the Senate, and the House to create a national-scale version of the PFFFI. In his fiscal year 2011 budget, President Barack Obama has proposed the Healthy Fresh Food Financing Initiative, calling for more than $400 million in investments in new and expanded supermarkets, farmers markets, and other food stores. Legislation will soon be introduced in the United States Senate and in the House of Representatives.
Congress Steps Up for Healthy Food for All |