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Austin Healthy Food Access Initiative

Texas
2016
Municipal
City Of Austin   
Urban | Suburban |
This initiative began in 2015 with an American Planning Association Plan4Health grant to address access to healthy food in the North Central area of Austin, Texas. The City, through its Office of Sustainability, created a Food Planning Pilot Program focused on priority populations who have historically struggled to find healthy, fresh foods at affordable prices. These populations include school children who qualify for free lunches, immigrants, refugees, and other struggling low-income groups. In response to the City Council’s Resolution in 2016 urging for strategies to execute this pilot program, the Office of Sustainability responded with six overarching recommendations: completing a comprehensive food environment analysis, expanding healthy food retail initiatives, increasing urban food production, implementing a nutritious food incentive program, developing an awareness campaign, and creating safe transportation routes to healthy food retailers.