Access to Healthy Food: A Guide for Delaware Local Governments

PROJECT SYNOPSIS

When thinking about hunger, third-world impoverished countries— not America—come to mind. Yet, food insecurity is a nationwide problem. As defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), food insecurity is a lack of consistent access to safe, affordable, and nutritious food for an active, healthy life. One in seven Americans struggle to get enough healthy food to eat. Low- to- moderate income families may be forced to choose between buying food, paying for transportation to a job, or costs of an unexpected expense due to an illness. Families facing financial pressures, or lacking transportation to full-service grocery stores, may opt to purchase cheap, nutritionlacking food at nearby convenience or “dollar” stores.

In Delaware, about 117,000 or 11 percent of its one-million residents experience food insecurity. Studies indicate that food insecurity is linked to income levels, race, and ethnicity. The issue impacts about one of every six Delaware children and 16 percent of Delaware seniors in Delaware—who often have mobility limitations, drive less, reduced incomes, and live alone. In addition, proximity to healthy food retailers also plays a key role in determining access to affordable, nutritious food. Across Delaware, 61 percent of the population lives in a census tract without a grocery store. Residents of low-income urban or rural neighborhoods—that lack nearby grocery stores, healthy food retailers, or reliable transportation options—may face greater challenges purchasing fresh food and produce.

This guide serves to advance the important role of Delaware local governments (i.e., towns, cities, and counties) in integrating health and equity considerations into local government plans, policies, and regulatory frameworks. This guide conveys how the community food environment can play a key role in determining access to healthy food. Local government leaders can help residents stay healthier by advancing policies and programs that encourage healthy eating.

Viable roles for local governments include fostering awareness of opportunities to “buy local,” addressing transportation and mobility barriers, forging partnerships with local farmers and nonprofits, implementing campaigns to promote nutrition, and addressing special-needs population challenges.

The guide describes local government policy tools (e.g., zoning, regulations, and incentives) that can attract healthy food retailers and foster activity-supportive built environments. These policy tools can enable farm stands, farmers’ markets, community gardens, and innovative food access programs to flourish. It also provides an overview of innovative programs working to improve access to healthy food in Delaware, a list of recommended resources, and a glossary of terms.