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By Logan B. Anderson

DOVER — Many Delawareans do not have access to healthy food because they live in a food desert.

On Tuesday, the Delaware State Senate voted unanimously to approve a bill that aims to reduce such areas in the First State.

A food desert, as defined by the legislation, “means locations where the residential population lacks adequate access to affordable nutritious foods, typically lower-income areas where there is no access to a grocery store within at least one-half mile in urban areas or at least 10 miles in non-urban areas.”

The measure, Senate Substitute 1 for Senate Bill 254, is sponsored by Sen. Darius Brown, D-Wilmington, establishes the Delaware Grocery Initiative

“Most families recognize the importance of eating healthy foods like fruits and vegetables and avoiding unhealthy food products such as chips and fast food. However, being in a food desert makes it difficult to achieve these goals,” Sen. Brown said on Tuesday afternoon on the Senate floor.

The entire Delaware State Senate also recognized the importance of access to healthy food and moved to be added as co-sponsors to the bill on Tuesday.

“Food deserts represent a significant public health risk,” Sen. Brown said. “People who live in food deserts are more likely to develop diet related illnesses such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other deficiencies,” Sen. Brown said.

The Delaware Grocery Initiative effort started with Senate Bill 254, that laid out a different structure for implementation. Originally, the Office of State Planning was selected to run the program. Now with Senate Substitute 1 for Senate Bill 254, designates the Division of Small Business as the implementing agency.

The initiative would provide incentives and support for business and organizations, labeled food resources in the legislation, that provide food options to Delaware’s food desert regions.

“Food resource means any source that provides or enables access, availability, or affordability of healthy food products including food retailers, food banks, food pantries, specialty grocers, supermarkets, corner stores, restaurants, state benefits offices, food box voucher programs, or other mechanisms that enable healthy food access in food desert communities,” according to the bill.

The act also charges the Delaware Council on Farm & Food Policy with, subject to appropriation, developing a food access strategy to address food insecurity impacting populations within urban, suburban, and rural communities throughout the state.

If signed into law, the Delaware Grocery Initiative would have a shelf life of three years, unless further action is taken by the General Assembly.

Access to healthy food items is a statewide problem; every state Senate district encompasses a food desert.

Senate Substitute 1 for Senate Bill 254 now moves to the Delaware House of Representatives for consideration.