First Lady Teams Up With Grocers Nationwide
July 21, 2011 | 1 min to read
A collection of retail heavyweights will join first lady Michelle Obama's campaign to bring fresh fruits, vegetables and other nutritious foods to the USA's "food deserts" — impoverished areas with little access to healthy foods.
National chains, including Wal-Mart, Walgreens and SuperValu, and some regional retailers have agreed to open or expand more than 1,500 stores to bring more nutritious and fresh food to underserved communities. The companies' executives joined the first lady at the White House to make the announcement.
These changes will serve about 9.5 million people and could create tens of thousands of jobs, says Melody Barnes, director of the Domestic Policy Council. Currently, 23.5 million Americans — including 6.5 million children — live in low-income areas that lack stores that are likely to sell affordable and nutritious foods, she says
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