Healthy foods bill could help Old South get grocery store

A bill that would encourage healthy food retailers to locate in underserved communities could lead to a grocery store in Old South Baton Rouge. Senate Bill 299 by New Orleans Democrat Ann Duplessis directs the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry to create a funding mechanism to promote grocery stores, farmers’ markets and other sources of healthy foods. A Senate study committee recommended a $5 million investment by the state that would be used to leverage grants, loans and other public and private funding sources, says Old South Baton Rouge Neighborhood Partnership director Kevin Boyd, who served on the committee. While new spending for anything will be controversial this year, supporters say the initiative could save the state money by lowering public health costs. During the master planning process for Old South led by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, the need for a grocery store was often the top concern expressed by residents in the neighborhood between downtown and LSU. Old South has corner stores that sell junk food, beer and cigarettes, but few other options, Boyd says. He says an independent grocer from New Orleans looked at Old South after Hurricane Katrina, but couldn’t make the project work financially. The proposal is based on a successful model in Pennsylvania, Boyd says.—David Jacobs