The Good Food CFO News: Restrictive Covenants

This week on the podcast, we spent some extra time in our news segment discussing a story that is infuriating. We are talking about restrictive covenants, an enforceable clause in a real estate deed or lease that limits how an owner or tenant can use the property.
In Grocery, these clauses often restrict the type of business that can move into or near a store’s location, and even an empty plot of land, long after the grocery store inhabits or even owns it. The impacts not only perpetuate, but are a root cause of food apartheid across America.
This is a conversation that goes beyond food business with implications for anyone who eats. It is crucial to understand the history behind these restrictive practices and the role they play in limiting access to real food. When we know better, we can do better.
You’ll hear us learn about:
The history of restrictive covenants, and how they have historically worked hand in hand with racial covenants to create a lack of food access
The different ways big retail and grocery uses restrictive lease covenants to their advantage still today
Why so little has been done to block these covenants from being leveraged across the country
What is being done to fight back through some local legislation, and how the good food community can have an impact
One thing is clear, Big Grocery needs to be held accountable for the impact on access to food across the country, and national legislation is needed to create real change.
Unravel this thought-provoking discussion with us and join the conversation (as we are NOT experts, and still learning ourselves!). Email us your thoughts, questions, and insights at [e-mail], and together we can continue the work of creating a more equitable and vibrant food system.