MS HB798

Creates the "Healthy Food Retail Act" authorizing the Mississippi Development Authority to establish a grants and loans program for healthy food retailers in underserved communities.

Program funds may support new supermarkets and grocery stores, renovations and infrastructure upgrades, farmers markets, food cooperatives, mobile markets, and distribution projects that increase access to fresh produce.

Eligible applicants include for-profit and nonprofit entities such as sole proprietorships, partnerships, corporations, cooperatives, and governmental entities; restaurants are excluded.

Applicants must demonstrate projects benefit underserved communities and commit to selling fresh fruits and vegetables according to agency standards; evaluation criteria include implementation capacity, debt repayment ability, economic impact, and promotion of Mississippi-grown produce.

Agency must establish program benchmarks, reporting processes, and monitoring mechanisms to track outcomes; must submit annual reports to the Legislature; authority sunsets July 1, 2016.