Press Release
MEDIA ADVISORY: Contact: April White, 215-575-0444 x120, awhite@thefoodtrust.org
Jan 08, 2009
New York Governor Proposes Supermarket Development Fund Based on Innovative Pennsylvania Program
In the New York State of the State address today, Governor David A. Paterson announced the Healthy Food/Healthy Communities Initiative, part of his signature initiative to combat the childhood-obesity epidemic. Research shows that the presence of supermarkets in communities helps to prevent obesity.
The Healthy Food/Healthy Communities Initiative is modeled on a successful Pennsylvania program, the Fresh Food Financing Initiative (FFFI), which is helping to alleviate the scarcity of grocery stores in low-income communities. The fund has provided $51.8 million in grants and loans to 62 supermarkets projects across the state. In 2008, Harvard University named FFFI one of the nation’s most innovative government programs.
""The Paterson administration took an important step today in the fight against childhood obesity," says Yael Lehmann, executive director of Philadelphia-based non-profit The Food Trust, which advocated for the New York policy. The Food Trust also manages the Pennsylvania program with partners The Reinvestment Fund and the Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition.
Childhood obesity is a public-health epidemic. Nearly one out of every six children between the ages of 6 and 19 are overweight or obese – a number that has tripled since 1980. But obesity is preventable and can be curbed through smart public policy.
In early 2009 The Food Trust will release the findings of the New York Supermarket Commission detailing more public-policy recommendations to encourage the development of supermarkets and the prevention of childhood obesity
Public-policy initiatives are just one way that The Food Trust works to ensure that everyone has access to affordable, nutritious food. To learn more about The Food Trust visit TheFoodTrust.org.