Committee approves SB 18 to create CDFA grant program for grocery stores in food deserts

Sen. Rubio, presenting SB 18 — described in committee as the Food Affordability Act — told the Assembly Committee on Agriculture that the bill would create a statewide grant program to help open new grocery stores and improve existing stores in communities the bill identifies as food deserts. "This important bill will help California families struggling with the cost of groceries by ensuring that Californians living in food desert communities have access to affordable healthy food options," Sen. Rubio said.

The bill would authorize the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to award grants to grocery-store operators for siting, retrofitting or expanding stores in underserved neighborhoods. Taylor Triffel, representing the California Grocers Association (CGA), described the measure as a way to "fill this gap by supporting the siting and improvements of existing grocery stores and food deserts where access is limited or nonexistent," and said the program would build on…