A 3540 New Jersey General Assembly · 2026-2027 Regular Session

"Food Desert Elimination Act"; provides incentives to supermarkets and grocery stores that locate in "food deserts."

This bill establishes the "Food Desert Elimination Act" to incentivize supermarkets and grocery stores (18,000+ sq ft) to open in designated "food desert communities" - areas with limited access to fresh food, identified using USDA and CDC data. It provides property tax-based tax credits to businesses that open their *first* supermarket or grocery store in a designated food desert community, covering the full property tax assessed by the municipality for three years after opening. The New Jersey Economic Development Authority will designate up to 75 initial food desert communities, prioritizing areas with high poverty and limited healthy food access. This directly affects low-income residents in these communities by aiming to improve access to nutritious food through new retail options.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 13, 2026 Last action Jan 13, 2026
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Jan 13, 2026
Introduced
Introduced, Referred to Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee
lower
3 primary · 5 co-sponsors

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