Bill > S04041

This bill establishes a sanitary retail food store grant program to help small grocery stores in food-scarce areas maintain proper sanitary conditions and stay in operation. The program allows the state's agriculture department, in collaboration with the Empire State Development Corporation, to provide grants to retail food stores that fail health inspections due to critical deficiencies but are located in areas with limited food access. Critical deficiencies are defined as serious sanitation issues like rodent activity, unclean food contact surfaces, inadequate handwashing facilities, and improper food storage temperatures. To be eligible for grants, stores must be in a food desert, unable to immediately correct sanitation problems due to financial constraints, and provide affordable, nutritious food to their community. Grants will be based on the scope of needed improvements and will be approved and released every six months. The bill also modifies existing inspection regulations, giving the department more flexibility to allow stores to remain open if they qualify for the grant program and are working to address their sanitation issues. The goal is to preserve essential food sources in underserved communities while ensuring public health standards are met.

Agriculture and Natural Resources, Budget and Finance

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S4041