By Sarah Gantz
Baltimore Business Journal
Baltimore City officials rolled out a plan to attract more grocery stores and food retailers to under-served neighborhoods.
Financial incentives for grocery stores that agree to set up shop in areas that lack access to food, a longer distribution period for food stamps and improving inventory at corner stores and public markets are among the city’s plans for ensuring more Baltimore residents have access to fresh, healthy food. The city also wants to expand farmers markets and look into transportation options to get residents to grocery stores beyond walking distance.
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake unveiled the plan at a press conference that coincided with the release of the city’s 2015 Food Environment Map and Report by the Baltimore Food Policy Initiative and the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future.