We recently had an article in our November e-newsletter about the NM Food Gap Task Force, which is investigating the lack of food access in rural and under-served urban areas.  The task force is in the news again this week, with the presentation of their first report to Governor Richardson.

A great article at the NM Independent has more on the story:

While food banks put bags of food directly into the hands of the hungry, the Food Gap Task Force, a group appointed last year by Gov. Richardson, is charged with a more complicated mission: finding creative ways to help poor, rural areas of the state gain better access to healthy and affordable food. The task force is trying to close the “food gap” between financially comfortable city folk and cash-strapped residents of far-flung communities.

The most familiar face on the task force is activist Pam Roy, who is also a co-director of Farm to Table, and the director of the New Mexico Food and Agriculture Policy Council. As the co-founder of the Southwest Marketing Network, she has worked for years to help local farmers market their products. With the help of task force co-chair Brian Moore, a state representative and small grocery store owner from Clayton, the group’s proposals have been making the rounds of the Legislature’s interim committees, where they have drawn some significant interest.  Full article

According to another article by Gweneth Dolland at the NM Independent, food access is a major issue for our state.