Houston Council members put 380 agreement on hold

Want to explore food deserts

Jay Blazek Crossley, Oct 20, 11.

Houston City Council members put a hold on a proposed 380 agreement between the City and Kroger, to examine whether such agreements could address the issue of food deserts, according to the Houston Chronicle.

The proposed agreement would reimburse Kroger for providing public improvements, such as new roads, connected to development of a new grocery store just south of I-10 near the Heights, in an area with relatively plentiful access to groceries and fresh produce. Several council members expressed concern that the City would not use such agreements as part of a strategy to address food deserts, areas with poor access to fresh produce.

The issue of food deserts has been growing in public discussions in the Houston region, as explained by Recipe for Success, following the publication of a report on food deserts in Houston by the Food Trust (pdf), a nonprofit which has successfully deployed such programs starting in Philadelphia and across the country in cities such as New York and New Orleans.

A recent report from PolicyLink suggests addressing food deserts through comprehensive strategies that not only involve incentives for large retailers, but also local and small measures, such as farmers’ markets and community gardens.

City of Houston Office of Sustainability Director Laura Spanjian reported on her facebook page that a “City of Houston Supermarket Summit” took place on October 6, 2011, to kick off the City’s efforts to bring retailers, nonprofits, and government health efforts together to address food deserts.

City Council could take up the 380 agreement again next week, according to the Chronicle.