The Department of Food and Agriculture has opened up the second round of funding for its Healthy Stores Refrigeration Grant Program.
Housed in the Office of Farm to Fork, the pilot program focuses on California’s food deserts, where grocery stores are distant and fresh produce is hard to come by. It supplies bodegas, small businesses, counties and nonprofits with energy-efficient refrigerators to fill with nutritional foods for sale.
In July, CDFA awarded $2.8 million to 28 applicants. In the final round for the program, it is awarding $1.7 million.
The 2018 budget also funded the California Nutrition Incentive Program, which grants nutrition credits for farmers markets to CalFresh recipients. As chair of the Budget Committee, Assemblymember Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, was the driving force behind the measures, because, he said, “All communities deserve access to healthy and nutritious food options.”
