An estimated 24.6 million Americans live in areas with inadequate access to supermarkets, according to TRF's 2011 Limited Supermarket Access (LSA) analysis. TRF, a leader in neighborhood revitalization, has been working to improve fresh food access in underserved communities. The Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative (FFFI), our first formal initiative around food access, is a nationally recognized success. Replication efforts of FFFI are being undertaken in several states including New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Louisiana and California. First Lady Michelle Obama has made improving access to healthy foods at affordable prices one of the cornerstones of her anti-obesity program and the President has proposed $345 million for a Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) in the 2011 federal budget. HFFI draws on TRF’s national data analysis and experience implementing FFFI in Pennsylvania.

TRF provides financing for supermarkets and other grocery stores that plan to operate in underserved communities across the Mid-Atlantic . By improving the retail food landscape in these communities, TRF’s programs provide families with increased access to fresh, more affordable foods.

Supermarkets create jobs, serve as retail anchors, and provide access to nutritious food at affordable prices. TRF manages and administers supermarket financing pools in Pennsylvania and New Jersey through public-private partnerships. Our expertise in developing supermarket financing programs and identifying low food access areas has positioned us as the leading national resource for policymakers and our peers seeking to establish similar programs in other markets. 

News & Resources

Learn more about our supermarket financing programs.

First Lady showcases TRF’s PA FFFI as national model. See video below of the First Lady speaking in Philadelphia.

 

Learn about the national Healthy Food Financing Initiative.

The White House visits Philadelphia to spotlight the PA FFFI.

 

Questions? Contact supermarkets@trfund.com.

Food Access 101: Identifying Limited Supermarket Access Areas and Assessing Market Viability

TRF's 2011 Limited Supermarket Access (LSA) analysis establishes where families have limited access to full-service grocery stores. Nationwide data is now freely available on PolicyMap at the census block group level.

Building on this analysis, TRF can provide very localized or state, regional or national data analyses to better understand the food access problem. This includes:

Understanding the severity and location of the problems within an area;

Quantifying food spending leakage (how much do people go elsewhere to purchase food for home) to determine the retail needs;

Designing and evaluating lending programs to finance supermarket development;

Understanding the level of competition within a market place; and

Supporting a triple bottom line agenda.

TRF serves diverse clients including federal agencies, local and state governments, foundations, policy research organizations, program evaluators and other policymakers.

News & Resources

Data from TRF 2011 Limited Supermarket Access (LSA) analysis is now available on PolicyMap for the entire nation. View your communities’ LSA areas with community demographic information for free. Learn more about TRF's methodology for its LSA analysis.

The Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program has just released a detailed analysis of supermarket access in 10 metro areas. Brookings worked with TRF on this analysis and the results are available on PolicyMap and discussed in a video,“Getting to Market.”

Learn more TRF's food access research and analysis.

 

Questions? Contact PolicySolutions@trfund.com.