Purpose of the Bill

The bill aims to support communities lacking access to affordable, healthy food by establishing a grant program to fund local food purchasing and distribution.

Main Provisions

• Local Food Purchasing Assistance Grant Program: This program is designed to help eligible participants procure and distribute food to communities in need.
• Grant Preferences: Preference for grants will be given to applicants that:
  1. Source all of their food from within Minnesota.
  2. Obtain at least 70% of their food from farmers facing challenges such as limited access to land or markets.
  3. Provide food at no cost to communities identified as food deserts or areas with significant populations like elderly individuals or people with disabilities.

Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants include a wide array of entities such as: - Individuals, nonprofit and for-profit organizations - Tribal governments and government entities - Agricultural cooperatives and economic development organizations - Educational institutions

Appropriations

The bill allocates funding from the general fund to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture for this program for the fiscal years 2026 and 2027.

Relevant Terms

• Local food purchasing
• Food deserts
• Grant program
• Minnesota agriculture
• Market access barriers
• Low supermarket access