In 2012 the Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi, the National Grocers Association, and The Food Trust convened the Mississippi Grocery Access Task Force, comprising local community, economic, and public health leaders. The group addressed how residents in underserved communities can better access healthy food and generated policy recommendations to support supermarkets and other fresh food retail across the state.
On the heels of the work of the Grocery Access Task Force, the Mississippi House of Representatives introduced MS HB 798, the Healthy Food Retail Act, to create a grant and loan program to increase access to fresh and healthy food in underserved communities. The act passed in the House by a wide margin (114-4) and was approved by the Senate (52-0). Although the legislature adjourned before the bill was completed, there was incredible bipartisan support, signifying a growing interest and commitment to economic development in communities underserved by grocery stores and other healthy food retail, along with the creation of expanded opportunities for American farmers.