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H 2516

An Act establishing an advisory committee on the accessibility of fresh food retail in communities throughout the Commonwealth

194th Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by James Arena-DeRosa and 4 co-sponsors

Massachusetts creates a time-bound advisory committee to map gaps in fresh food access, propose strategies (incentives, transit, partnerships), and report in 18 months.

Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on Rules of the two branches, acting concurrently
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Bill Summary · H 2516

Summary: House Bill H.2516 — An Act establishing an advisory committee on the accessibility of fresh food retail in communities throughout the Commonwealth

Purpose and intent

  • Establish an independent advisory committee to examine and improve access to fresh food retail across Massachusetts, with a focus on both urban and rural communities.
  • Identify communities lacking adequate access, analyze causes and public health impacts, and develop innovative strategies to increase access to fresh food retail.

Key provisions

  • Goals and activities

    • Develop criteria to determine where access to fresh food retail is inadequate.
    • Investigate causes of inadequate access and study public health impacts.
    • Propose innovative strategies to increase access, including:
    • Legislation and economic incentives
    • Financing options
    • Transportation improvements
    • Public-private partnerships
    • Pilot programs
    • Improvements to existing food programs
    • Calculate costs and potential savings of all strategies, and assess benefits, drawbacks, and feasibility.

  • Advisory committee composition

    • Chair: Commissioner of Public Health (or designee).
    • Members: Secretary of Housing and Economic Development (or designee); Commissioner of Agricultural Resources (or designee); Chairs of the Joint Committee on Public Health; a nutritionist appointed by the Commissioner of Public Health.
    • Five gubernatorial appointees (one each from):
    • Supermarket industry
    • Farmers markets
    • Gateway cities
    • Nonprofit/hunger-relief organizations
    • Massachusetts Public Health Association

  • Operations and timeline

    • The advisory committee must commence no later than 90 days after the act’s effective date.
    • It must file a report with findings, recommendations, and any proposed draft legislation to specified legislative committees within 18 months of enactment.

  • Expiration

    • The advisory committee expires after it submits the required report.

Who is affected

  • Residents statewide, particularly in areas with limited access to fresh foods.
  • Stakeholders including supermarkets, farmers markets, gateway city communities, hunger-relief and nonprofit organizations, and public health organizations.
  • State agencies and legislative committees involved in health, housing, economic development, and community development.

Procedural and timeline notes

  • Introduced: February 27, 2025.
  • Related actions: Senate concurred and referred to the Public Health committee on February 27, 2025.
  • Hearing schedule: Initially set for September 10, 2025, with updated times indicating a revised end time; multiple notices show a rescheduled hearing date.
    • 2025-08-29: Hearing scheduled for 09/10/2025 (10:00 AM – 1:00 PM in B-2).
    • 2025-09-10: Hearing rescheduled to 09/10/2025 (10:00 AM – 01:35 PM in B-2) with an updated virtual hearing end time.

Additional context

  • The bill contemplates cost and savings analysis for proposed strategies, but does not itself specify funding or appropriation at this stage.
  • A similar measure previously appeared in the 2023-2024 session (House No. 3632).

Bottom line

H.2516 would create a high-level, multi-agency advisory body to map and address gaps in access to fresh, healthy food across Massachusetts. It emphasizes evidence-based strategies, stakeholder input, and a concrete reporting deadline to inform future policy or legislative action. The committee is time-bound and advisory in nature, with a planned report to key legislative committees within 18 months of enactment.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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