Warner highlights challenge of feeding Virginians in need

U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner joined Michael McKee, director of the Blue Ridge Federation of Food Banks, and food access leaders from non-profits and faith organizations across the region on Friday to talk about the challenge of feeding Virginians in need during the pandemic.

During the discussion, Sen. Warner touched on his Healthy Food Access for All Americans Act, a bill he introduced to expand access to affordable and nutritious food in areas designated as food deserts by the USDA.

According to recent data from USDA, nearly 40 million Americans live in food deserts, areas defined to be without grocery stores within one or more miles in urban regions, and ten or more miles in rural regions.

In Virginia alone, there are more than 1 million individuals living in food deserts.

Studies have shown that Americans who live in communities with low-access to healthy food options are at higher risk for obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

“Today, too many Americans lack access to fresh nutritious and healthy foods. Unfortunately, that reality has only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis, which has made it even more difficult for working families to seek out and afford healthy foods,” Warner said in February when he introduced the Healthy Food Access for All Americans Act. “That’s why I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan bill that will serve as an important tool to combat food insecurity in our communities.”

The bill would provide incentives to food providers to expand access to healthy foods in these underserved communities and reduce the number of food deserts nationwide.

The legislation 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.

The bill would grant tax credits or grants to food providers who service low-access communities and attain a “Special Access Food Provider” 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 Healthy Food Access for All Americans Act boasts the support of numerous organizations, including Feeding America, the National Grocers Association, Share Our Strength, and Bread for the World.