Louisiana’s Healthy Food Retail Program (HFRP) was established by the Louisiana Legislature to provide flexible financing for healthy food retailers operating or expanding in underserved communities in Louisiana affected by Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, in both urban and rural areas. The program provides flexible financing to enable operators to open, renovate, or expand retail outlets that sell healthy food. The goals are to increase access to affordable, healthy food so as to improve diets and health; to promote the sale and consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, particularly those that are Louisiana-grown; and to support expanded economic opportunities in low-income and rural communities by meetings the financing needs of food market operators in communities where infrastructure costs and credit needs cannot be filled solely by conventional financial institutions.

Market Umbrella is a core partner in this project, providing technical assistance to applicants around the state. Interested in applying? Check out details of the program, look over some FAQs, and contact Market Umbrella's Director of Markets Angelina Harrison at angelina@marketumbrella.org for more information!