Improving Access to Fresh, Healthy Foods

In many urban and rural areas, it isn’t always easy to buy fresh, healthy food. The AARP state office is part of the Indiana Healthy Food Access Coalition, which aims to make it easy to buy fresh fruits and vegetables and whole-grain products in every neighborhood.

The coalition is encouraging state legislators to set up a program that would use financial incentives such as tax credits, loans and grants to attract supermarkets and other healthy food retailers to underserved areas. The program would offer flexible financing terms, customized to each project’s needs. In similar programs in other states, grant sizes generally range from $5,000 to $250,000 per project.

The program also could help fund food pantries, farm stands, farmers' markets, mobile markets and nonprofit organizations that distribute healthy food.