S. 1176 — Healthy Food Access for All Americans Act

This section establishes a new general business tax credit under new IRC §45AA (to be codified after §45AA) for certified special access food providers that place qualified grocery stores in service in food deserts (i.e., underserved areas lacking healthy food access), equal to the lesser of an allocated amount or 15% of the depreciable basis for new stores or 10% of renovation expenditures. It further establishes a coordinated Treasury-Agriculture grant program—nontaxable under the IRC—for such providers, equal to the lesser of an allocated amount or 15% of qualified construction expenses for permanent food banks or 10% of annual operational costs for temporary access merchants (e.g., mobile markets or farmers markets operating specified minimum hours in food deserts). (As background, certification requires applicants to meet Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) eligibility criteria under 7 U.S.C. §6953—i.e., projects that provide access to healthy foods such as staple perishable items in underserved areas via loans and grants to retailers—and operate in food deserts; farmers markets are ineligible if receiving other USDA grants except specified nutrition incentives.) Grants are paid within 60 days of certification or placement in service/operations.

This section directs the Secretary to update the USDA Food Access Research Atlas not less frequently than once each year to account for food retailers placed in service during that year. (As background, the Atlas identifies census tracts with limited access to affordable and healthy foods—commonly known as food deserts—to inform programs such as the Healthy Food Financing Initiative.)