New Jersey § 4:10-25

§ 4:10-25.

a. The Legislature finds and declares that there are certain urban areas of the State,

known as “food desert” communities, in which residents are unable to obtain reasonable

and adequate access to nutritious foods and, in particular, to fresh fruits and vegetables;

that the inaccessibility of nutritious food in urban food desert communities has been

attributed, in large part, to the absence therein of supermarkets, grocery stores,

and farmers' markets and the prevalence therein of businesses like liquor stores and

convenience marts, which provide convenient and affordable access only to pre-processed

foods, generally high in empty calories, sugar, unhealthy preservatives, and harmful

fats, and low in nutritional value; that low-income families are more likely than

others to live in urban food desert communities and to lack the transportation or

financial resources necessary to reach distant wholesome markets; that, as is evidenced

by the work of various non-profit and private entities across the United States, the

accessibility to, desire for, and use of, fresh produce by residents of urban food

desert communities can be improved through the provision of mobile farmers' markets,

which regularly travel to and from these communities, and which provide fresh produce

to residents situated therein; and that the institution of a mobile farmers' market

initiative is a reasonable means by which to ensure that residents of urban food desert

communities in the State are provided with reasonable access to nutritious, fresh,

and delicious produce, and are afforded the opportunity thereby to make healthier

eating choices for themselves and for their families. b. The Legislature therefore determines that it is both reasonable and necessary to

authorize the Department of Agriculture to develop and assist in the implementation

of a pilot program to establish a mobile farmers' market initiative that will provide

a consistent, and easily accessible, source of fresh produce to residents in urban

food desert communities in municipalities selected to participate in the pilot program.