Pennsylvania’s Fresh Food Financing Initiative is gaining national prominence for funding fresh food retail projects in under-served communities and raising the vitality of the both communities and their residents in the process. Top Obama officials visited the bustling new ShopRite in West Parkside yesterday to see the impact of FFFI firsthand.

ShopRite’s attention to the nuances of customer service and preferences shows that supermarkets are not all the same. Revisit Infill Philadelphia: Food Access for even more ideas on how to break the mold and bring fresh food back to urban communities.

Last week, Michelle Obama’s new kitchen garden sparked lots of commentary  about fresh produce and the growing sustainable food movement. In Fresh Food for Urban Deserts, the New York Times suggested that Obama take her cause a step further and become an advocate for bringing fresh groceries to the nation’s poorest neighborhoods. The editorial describes the plight of residents in urban “food deserts” and praises Pennsylvania’s Fresh Food Financing Initiative.