As part of his Wisconsin Way agenda to make life more affordable and ahead of tonight’s small business forum with Main Street Action, Mandela Barnes is proposing a new statewide grant program to help small business entrepreneurs open full-service grocery stores in food deserts.

Food affordability is a growing crisis across Wisconsin. 10% of Wisconsin, or about 570,000 people, live in areas where they cannot access affordable food, according to Wisconsin Watch. This includes large swaths of both urban and rural Wisconsin communities who are struggling even more to afford groceries due to Trump’s tariffs and soaring inflation.

As Wisconsin’s next Governor, Mandela Barnes wants to lower grocery costs and end food deserts in our state by providing grants to small business entrepreneurs to open grocery stores in underserved neighborhoods, while also funding farm-to-grocer and Buy Local programs that give Wisconsin farmers new, reliable local markets for their crops and livestock to provide affordable fresh food to families across the state.

Mandela Barnes’ proposal to lower grocery costs in Wisconsin includes:

  • Providing startup grants for local entrepreneurs to open grocery stores in food deserts and emergency funding for stores at risk of shuttering due to Trump tariffs and unpredictable economy
  • Pair and incentivize those stores with Wisconsin farm sourcing, including expanding existing Buy Local and farm-to-table programs
  • This will end food deserts, improve community health, create new local markets for farmers who have been hurt by Trump tariffs, and lower costs for Wisconsin families at the grocery store

“Access to affordable food shouldn’t change just because of your ZIP code,” said Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes. “Republicans like Trump and Tom Tiffany have pushed our grocery stores and farmers to financial ruin by cutting SNAP benefits, enacting disastrous and unpredictable tariffs, and raising costs on everyday goods. By investing in local entrepreneurs and creating local markets for family farms, my plan will lead to greater food access and lower costs for Wisconsin families in urban and rural communities.”

In Milwaukee, the North Side continues to lose grocery options, deepening food deserts and forcing families to travel farther and pay more for basic necessities. In recent weeks, the Sentry Foods, Aldi’s, and Sherman Park Grocery stores have all shuttered or are on the brink of closure.

Meanwhile, Trump’s disastrous and unpredictable tariff policy is squeezing the entire food system and agriculture industry:

  • Farmers across Wisconsin are struggling to make ends due to shrinking export markets and an inability to sell their crops and livestock.
  • Wisconsin working families have already lost $671 in higher costs due to Trump’s inflation, and Trump’s SNAP cuts will cause 375,000 Wisconsin families to lose some or all of their benefits
  • Local grocery stores operate on razor thin margins, and Trump’s chaotic tariffs are pushing stores to the brink of shutting down, with many closing altogether, limiting food access in urban and rural areas

On top of these issues, Republicans like Tom Tiffany have voted to cut SNAP benefits, which stores like Sherman Park Grocery have cited as one of the main challenges pushing them to the brink of closure.

Part of his Wisconsin Way agenda to make life more affordable for Wisconsin families, Mandela Barnes’ proposal to end food deserts builds on his bold plans to lower costs and stand up to Donald Trump, including:

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