Alabama Will Finance Grocery Stores in Disadvantaged Areas

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Alabama state governor signed the Healthy Food Financing Act on July 1, 2015 to address statewide food deserts.

The purpose of this act is to establish a statewide program to provide loans or grants for the construction or expansion of grocery stores to increase access to fresh and nutritious food, including fruits and vegetables, for residents living in undeserved communities.  Due to unequal distribution of supermarkets in Alabama, a disproportionate number of low income families are without access to health food.  Lack of access to fresh and nutritious food is associated with obesity and other diet related diseases.

Alabama has the highest diabetes rates and one of the highest childhood obesity rates in the nation.  36.91% of youth (under age 18) in Alabama are Latino.

Access to fresh and nutritious food is associated with health and economic development and should be available to all.  In order to address health equity, decision-makers need to eliminate inequities in access to nutritious foods through environment and policy changes.

In addition to federal funding through the Healthy Food Financing Initiative, six states and two cities have also passed healthy food financing programs to address food deserts.

Read more about this policy change in Alabama.

UPDATE January 2016: Alabama Implements Healthy Food Financing Programs http://bit.ly/1KuCe4j