Offers financing programs that help customers benefit from utility incentives and energy savings.

Neighborhoods scattered around Minnesota are faced with the challenge of having access to healthy food. Thousands of people live in communities without a grocery store — leaving them to pay more, in time and money. The lack of nearby grocery stores poses a real problem for 10 to 15 percent of residents. With little money, and without cars, they do almost all their shopping at convenience stores.

This study by examines the correlation between the health of nearly 40,000 Californians and the mix of retail food outlets near their homes. The key finding is that people living in neighborhoods crowded with fast-food and convenience stores but relatively few grocery or produce outlets are at significantly higher risk of suffering from obesity and diabetes.

A Denver task force is trying to make sure everyone has access to healthy food. The task force says that low-income communities in Denver often lack access to supermarkets with affordable, healthy food. So they are trying to provide incentives for grocers to open new stores in under served neighborhoods, eliminating food deserts.

The Denver Food Access Task Force made recommendations to the Health, Safety and Education committee of the City Council. It includes prioritizing supermarket development at city hall, and streamlining the permit process for supermarket developers. They also push for a Fresh Food Financing Fund to encourage chains and independent grocers to build in the underserved neighborhoods that have been neglected for many years.

Councilmen Stephen Costello wants Houston's city government to lure supermarkets to neighborhoods with few places to buy produce. He is talking about tax breaks, sales tax rebates, utility subsidies, even using public dollars to buy the land for a private business.

An article describing the Fresh Food Financing Initiative. It describes how the initiative came about and efforts to expand the program nationwide. Case studies and tools are also included.

NCB Capital Impact (Capital Impact) finances healthy-food retail establishments, lending to dozens of independent grocers and natural food cooperatives throughout the country. This article highlights the work of the organization including their success and challenges.

Circle Food Store received a $1 million loan from the city's Fresh Food Retailer Initiative to open stores selling fresh produce in low-income neighborhoods. Officials hope the store's redevelopment will serve as a catalyst for rebuilding a robust community, generating taxes, discouraging blight and creating jobs.

More than a third of Baltimore neighborhoods don't have ready access to healthy foods, leaving one in five residents to rely on high-fat, high-calorie meals from corner stores and carryout restaurants, a new assessment shows. City officials and other groups already are launching programs to provide healthier eating options for Baltimoreans.