Bill Proposes More Healthy Food Stores To Alabama
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Alabama is the fifth most obese state in the nation, but lawmakers are proposing a new bill in the Alabama Legislature to challenge that all in hopes to bring more access to healthy options for grocery shopping across the state. One state leader, along with child and health advocates says the lack of healthy food grocers is a problem for the state. They’re working together to pass the Healthy Food Financing Initiative to bring more color on the plates of both urban and rural areas. You’ve heard the saying — “eat the rainbow.” And one piece of legislation is hoping to make that a bit easier for Alabamians by bringing healthier food options closer to home. “Now that I’ve learned the detail of a food desert, it is important that children have the opportunity to access fresh fruits and vegetables in their community,” Said Alabama Senate Majority Leader Greg Reed, who is proposing the bill. VOICES for Alabama’s children, the Alabama Academy of Pediatrics and the Alabama Grocers Association say healthy food is not easily accessed in some communities. Nearly 30 percent of Montgomery County’s children under 18 years old have low access to healthy food. Lowndes County has the least access to healthy food in the state with nearly 47 percent. Christine McClaine of Montgomery hopes lawmakers pass the bill. If you have more access to the places it may help you to choose food more wisely because eating healthy, it costs you, too. The Healthy Food Financing Initiative hopes to also create jobs for low-income communities. “When you bring a grocery store into a community, the average grocery store employs 90 employees, so that’s a tremendous economic impact for a community,” Said Ellie Taylor with the Alabama Grocer’s Association. With this legislation, support groups of the bill hope to go after grants and loans to not only create new stores, but also renovate current stores.
