WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Mark R. Warner (D-Va.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), and Bob Casey (D-Pa.) today reintroduced bipartisan legislation to increase access to grocery stores in areas designated as “food deserts” by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Healthy Food Access for All Americans (HFAAA) Act would benefit low-income rural and urban communities that have limited or no access to nutritious food by providing incentives to food service providers such as grocers, retailers, and non-profits who expand access to nutritious foods in underserved communities.
 
“Individuals and families living in rural communities—like many of those in West Virginia—often have a very difficult time accessing fresh and nutritious foods,” Senator Capito said. “This legislation will help improve access to groceries and healthy foods across West Virginia and make it easier for businesses and non-profit organizations to serve our rural communities.”
  
“Families in Virginia must be able to count on reliable access to healthy and affordable foods no matter where they live,” Senator Warner said. “This legislation will increase the availability of dependable nutritious food for more than one million Virginians, and support grocery markets and non-profits in their efforts to serve the communities that need them the most.”
  
“Living in the breadbasket of our nation, it is easy to forget that chronic hunger is still prevalent in many of our own communities,” Senator Moran said. “It is estimated that food insecurity threatens nearly 1 in 6 Kansans, and yet many grocery stores in both rural and urban communities are struggling to stay open. Our bipartisan Healthy Food Access for All Americans Act would incentivize food providers to establish and renovate grocery stores, food banks and farmers markets in communities that traditionally lack affordable and convenient food options. All Kansans and Americans, regardless of where they live, deserve access to healthy food.”
  
“All Americans, no matter where they live, should have access to affordable and nutritious food,” Senator Casey said. “I’m proud to join this bipartisan effort to help combat food deserts by incentivizing food service providers to reach new communities. We must swiftly pass this measure so that we can address the seriousness of hunger and food insecurity across the country.”
  
An estimated 37 million Americans currently live in food deserts—areas with no grocery stores within one or more miles in urban regions and ten or more miles in rural regions. Individuals who live in communities with low-access to healthy food options are at higher risk for obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
  
The HFAAA Act—which defines a grocery market as a retail sales store with at least 35 percent of its selection (or forecasted selection) dedicated to selling fresh produce, poultry, dairy, and deli items—would spark investment in food deserts across the country that have a poverty rate of 20 percent or higher or a median family income of less than 80 percent of the median for the state or metro area. It would grant tax credits or grants to food providers who service low-access communities and attain a “Special Access Food Provider” (SAFP) certification through the Treasury Department. Incentives would be awarded based on the following structure: 

  • New Store Construction – Companies that construct new grocery stores in a food desert will receive a onetime 15 percent tax credit after receiving certification.

 

  • Retrofitting Existing Structures – Companies that make retrofits to an existing store’s healthy food sections can receive a onetime 10 percent tax credit after the repairs certify the store as an SAFP.

 

  • Food Banks – Certified food banks that build new (permanent) structures in food deserts will be eligible to receive a onetime grant for 15 percent of their construction costs.

 

  • Temporary Access Merchants – Certified temporary access merchants (i.e. mobile markets, farmers markets, and some food banks) that are 501(c)(3)s will receive grants for 10 percent of their annual operating costs.

 

The full text of the bill is available here and a summary can be found here.
 
The legislation was previously introduced in the 115th Congress. A similar bill is being introduced in the House by Representatives Tim Ryan (D-Ohion), A. Donald McEachin (D-Va.), and Roger Marshall (R-Kan.).  

 

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