Introduction of the Food Deserts Act
Floor Speech
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Mr. Speaker, in June of 2017, Marsh Supermarkets grocery stores announced the closure of many stores throughout the Midwest. Many of these stores were located in my district where already many families lack a car or reliable public transportation to get to the nearest alternative, often located over a mile away. Today, thousands of my constituents are struggling to find the food they need, with many forced to rely on fast food restaurants and convenience stores. These options are neither healthy nor affordable.
Sadly, this situation is not unique. Over 29 million people, almost 10 percent of the U.S. population, live without ready access to affordable, nutritious food and over 2 million people have no transportation to get to their nearest store. Many have seen their local stores close their doors during the recent economic downturn.
Others lost access years ago and are now facing the serious long-term impacts of obesity, diabetes, malnutrition and other diet related ailments. Unfortunately, residents in these low-income areas tend to spend less on groceries, leaving little financial incentive for traditional grocery chains to make costly investments for new locations.
In the wealthiest country on Earth, nutritious food should be an expectation, not a luxury. That is why I am introducing the Food Deserts Act, which creates new avenues to fund stores in underserved communities. This bill will create USDA funded, state operated revolving funds that will issue low interest loans for the operation of grocery stores in food deserts. The bill ensures that recipients of these loans, including for-profit, non-profit and municipal entities, will provide affordable, healthy food, including fresh produce and staples like milk, bread and meat. It will also ensure that USDA professionals are available to provide technical assistance to recipients who need it.
Access to healthy food is something that most of us take for granted.
But despite our own experiences, we need to remember that millions of our constituents are struggling every day to feed their families. With this market driven approach, I hope to complement existing federal programs and efforts around the country by ensuring a stable lending stream for struggling grocery stores and sustainable access to food for communities in need.
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