Fresh Food Access
Access to healthy food in the nation's capital has become a geographic lottery driven by historical disinvestment. Over 80% of DC's food deserts are locked east of the river, where a mere three full-service grocery stores are forced to serve more than 150,000 residents in Wards 7 and 8. This "grocery gap" is a public health emergency that forces families to travel long distances or settle for expensive, processed options down the block. Food access must be treated as critical public infrastructure.
The Plan
- Triple the grocery store footprint east of the river by bringing 10 to 12 new, full-service supermarkets to underserved wards over the next five years.
- Reclaim city-owned land for food sovereignty by establishing community-owned food cooperatives and non-profit grocery models that keep food profits and governance directly in the neighborhood.
- Double the purchasing power of nutrition assistance by implementing a 2x matching value rule for SNAP and WIC benefits when spent on fresh fruits and vegetables.
- Deploy a fleet of mobile food access markets to roll fresh produce and healthy grocery staples directly into designated food desert neighborhoods on a weekly basis.
- Formally integrate nutrition security into public health policy, legally recognizing access to fresh, healthy food as a fundamental human right for every resident.