HARRISBURG – A bill to re-establish the PA Fresh Food Financing Initiative has passed the PA House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee. The Initiative was a program operated from 2004 to 2010 that provided grants and low-interest loans for the construction, rehabilitation or expansion of grocery stores, farmers markets, and other healthy food retail establishments in low to moderate-income areas and other under-served communities. House Bill 580 reestablishes the Initiative throughout the state to provide access to fresh produce to needy and under-served people and boost local agriculture production. The measure now goes to the full state House.
