2025 Delaware Code
Title 16 - Health and Safety
Chapter 36. Delaware Grocery Initiative [For application of this chapter, see 84 Del. Laws, c. 373, § 3] [Expires Aug. 29, 2028]
§ 3602. Definitions [For application of this section, see 84 Del. Laws, c. 373, § 3] [Expires Aug. 29, 2028].
As used in this chapter:
(1) “Division” means the Division of Small Business created by § 8703A of Title 29.
(2) “Food desert” means locations where the residential population lacks adequate access to affordable nutritious foods, typically lower-income areas where there is no access to a grocery store within at least 0.5 mile in urban areas or at least 10 miles in nonurban areas.
(3) “Food resource” means any source that provides or enables access, availability, or affordability of healthy food products including food retailers, food banks, food pantries, specialty grocers, supermarkets, corner stores, restaurants, state benefits offices, food box voucher programs, or other mechanisms that enable healthy food access in food desert communities.
(4) “Healthy Food Retail Initiative” means the Delaware Healthy Food Retail Initiative, a project started in 2021 to develop a series of policy, systems, and environment strategies to help Delaware residents access enough nourishing food from sources within a resident's immediate neighborhood or community.
(5) “Local governmental unit” means any county, municipality, township, special district, or unit that is designated as a unit of local government by law and exercises limited governmental powers or powers in respect to limited governmental subjects. “Local governmental unit” also includes any school district or community college district.
(6) “Nonprofit” means an organization or institution that is organized as a nonprofit nonstock corporation according to the General Corporation Law [Chapter 1] of Title 8.
(7) “Program” means the First State Food System Program, which was established by the Delaware Department of Agriculture, using Delaware state funds from the American Rescue Plan [P.L. 117-2] to award grants to food resources.
(8) “Specialty grocer” means a food resource that provides or enables the access, availability, or affordability of culturally diverse food products, including independent retail operations.
