BILL: Should We Reduce Food Deserts? - Food Deserts Act - H.R.1230

While I agree with the goals of the bill, I am not at all confident that the actual method is sound:

• Requiring states to use the funds to support the construction or maintenance of grocery stores in these "food desert” areas.
• States must prioritize loaning money to stores that hire workers from the community, source food from local farms, and provide educational info on healthful diets.

We have poor people without transportation living in areas without a viable supermarket who are now supposed to get to a "sponsored' store. How do they get there?
How will they pay?
Who gets to run the store?

Too many moving parts = too many things to go very wrong.

I'd want to see the detailed plans and model store experimentally before advocating for this 

Price gouging by grocery stores has gotten out of hand.  Comparring prices and availability is a must to stretch the almighty dollar.  Granted, they need to make a profit but they don't need to be greedy about it.  As long as the product is paid for, the employees are paid a living wage, there is not a need to mark up prices for ultimate gain.  

There isn't any reason why food prices cannot be regulated by government oversite.  Or----at the very least, the profit margin be regulated.  

I also have a problem with over weight  chickens.  Growing up I was taught that for purchasing a frying hen, the weight should be between 3 to 4 pounds.  Any one larger was for roasting or stewing.  My late grandmother raised chickens growing up on the farm and she taught me a great deal regarding pricing, freshness, cuts of other meats, and fruit and vegteable freshness.  For those of us who are graced with the ability to comparison shop, the savings can be great. 

Every week I go through all the grocery ads available to me.  If it's on sale and I use it or want to try it, I will buy it.  I have two lists when I go shopping----one is what I'm out of or low on and the other is a list of sale items which allows me to stock up on.  I'm not afraid to by fruits and veggies that are damaged in some way since they can still be edible.  You just have to take the time to clean them well and freeze them once they have been preped according to their requirements.

We need to remember that the food we consume is to keep the body healthy and functioning.  Junk food should be treated as a treat not a staple and portions should not be oversized.  We have allowed ourselves to become fat, lazy Americans because of gluttony.  Everybody needs healthy foods for survival and should be taught in public schools as well as at home.

Republicans don't want poor children to eat, have any medical care, but they do want to do away with child labor laws so that the poverty stricken 9 year olds can go work in a coal mine, a factory, or in the fields.

They even took away their free brekfasts and free lunches in school.

Do you think they care about food deserts?   Do you think they care if a family doesn't have transpsortation to the next town over to be able to buy groceries?

Let me give you the short answer to that question: NO

Food and water are the most basic needs of all living things.  

That includes PEOPLE!  

In the wealthiest country in the world, no one should ever have to go hungry!  

Besides, lack of good nutrition, a healthy diet, contributes to huge variety of diseases.  These include the biggest killers--hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and many others.  

Let's talk about shelter/homelessness next...

We're 33 TRILLION in debt! Our interest payment on that is our GDP now. That mostly goes to CHINA that owns most of our debt.

But you knuckleheads think we should be focusing on this! You're out of your minds!!!

Yes! I know some will call this overreach, but every American should have a right to fresh and affordable food within a short distance of their home, at least if they live in or near a town. 

Corporate profits are not more important than healthy nutrition; we need to find ways to force stores to open in poorer neighborhoods and to carry fresh foods.

Yes!!!!  People can't eat very healthy if they can't get the foods they need for a healthy diet and you sure don't get healthy at Dollar General or the corner convenience store.

Investment in people's diets will payoff in the long term with better health and lower medical costs however in the current congressional environment especially in the House where only 11% of bills made it past committees and 2% enacted between 2021-2023 this legislation has no chance especially since all 36 co-sponsors are democrats. If they are serious about the success of this bill try need to get some Republican co-sponsored behind it to make it Bipartisan.

The Republican House is only interested in investigations for campaign PR & fund raising and not actually passing legislation. In the 100 days since the appropriations bills passed out of committee they couldn't get them on the House floor to vote on them and are still working on them.

https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/1230/cosponsors