Finding trade-offs in social policy are often essential, although very often always controversial. Last week, however, the Houston city council approved an ordinance without much opposition that relaxed the city’s alcohol sales rules in order to attract grocery stores into poor areas known as food deserts. But to avoid past experiences, the new law mandates some provisions that the authors hope will assure these areas don’t just fill up with small stores that would specialize mostly in booze sales. (Video: KTRK 13 News)
RELATED:
- City OKs booze sales to draw supermarkets to ‘food deserts’ (Chron.con)
- Why Houston Is Changing Its Alcohol-Sales Law to Help Food Deserts (The Atlantic)
- A boozy savior? Grocery store alcohol laws loosened up to fight food deserts (Houston Culture Map)