Too many Massachusetts communities have poor access to healthy food and lack strong local job opportunities. The Massachusetts Food Trust Program will increase healthy food access and spur economic development by providing loans, grants, and technical assistance to support new and expanded healthy food retailers and local food enterprises in low- and moderate-income communities across the Commonwealth.

The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources recently released a Request for Responses (RFR) to select an administrator for the Massachusetts Food Trust Program. Once an administrator is selected, the Massachusetts Food Trust Program will officially launch and funding will be made available in the form of loans and grants to support healthy food projects in low to moderate income communities across the Commonwealth.

• View, MA Food Trust Fact Sheet–FY19 HWM Budget
• View, MA Food Trust Impact Sheet
• View, MA Food Trust – Implementation Fact Sheet – Fall 2017

The Facts   

Data collected by The Food Trust shows that 2.8 million people living in low income areas in Massachusetts lack access to grocery stores, including more than 700,000 children and 523,000 seniors. Grocery stores included chain and independent markets with annual food sales of $2 million or more. Low income areas were based on incomes lower than the state wide per capita income level of  $36, 895.

Top Massachusetts Cities with the most significant Grocery Gap:

1. Chelsea
2. Springfield
3. Taunton
4. Everett
5. Revere
6. Lawrence
7. Lowell
8. Lynn
9. Brockton
10. Chicopee

The maps below highlight the grocery gap  in the counties of the top ten cities in Massachusetts with low grocery store access. Fact sheets provide info on the potential impact of the Massachusetts Food Trust Program to help reduce food access disparities in cities like Revere, Springfield and  Lawrence by expanding the capacity of local farmers’ markets, and bodegas and building more grocery stores.

Join the Campaign!

Sign your organization up as a supporter of the MA Food Trust — click, here.

Sign up for MA Food Trust action alerts . Contact MPHA Coalition and Advocacy Manager, Kristina St. Cyr at: kstcyr@mapublichealth.org..

MA Food Trust in the News

• Revere Wants to Close Grocery Gap — ItemLive.com (May 9, 2017)
• 40 percent of state is a food desert, says new report  — Boston 25 News (May 5, 2017)
• Data shows gateway cities, rural areas trapped in ‘grocery gap’ — State House News (April 12, 2017)
• Program Pledging Healthy Foods in Low-Income Areas Lacks Funding — State House News (March 30, 2016)
• Advocates press Baker to release funds for healthy foods initiative – The Boston Globe (Jan. 5, 2016)
• MPHA Executive Director’s interview with the Boston.com WRKO Morning Show (Jan. 7, 2016)
• MPHA Exectutive Director and Dorchester Community Food Coop interview with WBUR Radio Boston (Jan. 7, 2016)

Op Eds and Editorials:

• Rebekah Gewirtz and Chris Flynn: Here’s hoping Governor Baker has hit on recipe for healthy food in needy areas — Boston Globe (Sept. 26, 2016)
• Food is Big Business, Seek its Just Deserts  — Boston Business Journal (July 8, 2016)
• Affordable Food: Everett’s Pathway to Health and Economic Vitality — Everett Independent (Nov. 5, 2015)
• Lauren Levesque: Boosting health, economy with access to healthy food — Berkshire Eagle (Sept. 6, 2015)
• Rebekah Gewirtz: Mass could do more to boost access to healthy, affordable food — Boston Globe (June 2, 2015)
• Affordable Food Area’s Pathway to Health and Economic Vitality — Lowell Sun (May 26, 2015)
• Food needs should be addressed in budget: Editorial — Springfield Republican (May 18, 2015)

Additional Resources

The Food Trust| Emerging HFFI Programs
A list of the emerging Healthy Food Financing Initiative programs across the county including the Massachusetts Food Trust Program with additional information.

Municipal Strategies to Increase Food Access Toolkit
A report that presents strategies and methods to increase food access and food production in municipal systems. The toolkit is a tool that municipal staff, board members and community food advocates can utilize to improve food access in their towns and cities.

Sowing Seeds at the State Level: How Legislatures Strengthen Local Food Systems
A webinar featuring MPHA, the National Conference of State Legislatures and the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources.

Healthy Food Access Portal
Find contact information for your elected officials, here.

Good Food Massachusetts: Municipal Resource Guide
The purpose of this resource guide is to inform local leaders of many resources available to increase access to healthy, affordable food and to make Massachusetts municipalities a healthier place to live, work, learn, and play.

2014 Environmental Bond Bill – Healthy Food Financing Language

Supporting Organizations to Date

Click here to add your organization to the list.