One reason for the alarming trends for obesity and diabetes in the U.S. population, as well as high blood pressure and high cholesterol, is that too many children and adults do not eat a healthy diet. To address this need, Louisiana passed a Healthy Food Retail Act seven years ago to help grocers and farmers’ markets expand into fresh food-needy areas, yet until now, the state has never provided funding for the law.In the 2016 budget bill, the governor included $1 million in funding to implement the Healthy Food Retail Act.

This is a huge success for a cash-strapped state and research shows that this will contribute to better eating habits and good health, including decreased risk for diet-related diseases like diabetes and heart disease. Groups across the state worked hard for the funding, including leadership from Market Umbrella and their partner Together Louisiana. Learn more about healthy food access.

October 2016