LACDPH and partners run the Healthy Neighborhood Market Network countywide, helping corner stores in food-desert communities stock fresh produce. The program offers refrigeration grants, technical assistance, and marketing support; participation is voluntary, not a mandate.
LA County Department of Public Health, with the LA Food Policy Council and community partners, operates the Healthy Neighborhood Market Network across high-need neighborhoods in the county. The voluntary program supports independent corner stores in adopting healthier inventory: fresh fruits and vegetables, low-sugar beverages, and whole-grain options. Stores receive refrigeration equipment grants, store-redesign help, supplier matchmaking, and signage. Participating cities including unincorporated communities like Florence-Graham and East LA pair the program with zoning incentives. Some jurisdictions add fast-food formula-restaurant overlays through their own city plans; LA County has no countywide fast-food moratorium. Program priorities target census tracts identified by USDA as low-income, low-access food deserts.
The program is incentive-based, not punitive, so there are no specific violations. Stores that accept grants must meet stocking commitments under their participation agreement or face equipment recovery and removal from the network.
See how Santa Monica's healthy food retail rules stack up against other locations.
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