Grocery Access Task Force publishes recommendations

The Grocery Access Task Force has published recommendations for developing healthy, affordable food retail in underserved communities throughout Kansas City, Kansas, and Kansas City, Missouri. Their report, Stimulating Supermarket Development in Bi-state Kansas City, outlines nine state and local policy recommendations. 

Convened by the Greater Kansas City Food Policy Coalition, the task force consists of nearly 30 experts representing leadership from government, public health, grocery retail, civic, and community and economic development organizations. Together, they have explored barriers to supermarket and grocery store development in underserved neighborhoods. The recommendations are informed by existing efforts in the region, including the work that organizations and officials are leading in Wyandotte County and the Cities of Kansas City, Kansas, and Kansas City, Missouri:

• The Greater Kansas City Food Policy Coalition has been working on a multipronged bi-state food deserts initiative, which has included development and ongoing implementation support for a healthy food access resolution adopted unanimously by the Kansas City, Missouri, City Council in January 2012.
• The Nutrition Action Team of Healthy Communities Wyandotte has simultaneously been working on recommendations to improve Wyandotte County’s food environment.
• In June 2012, the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas, announced a request for proposals for urban grocery store development in their downtown