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BOARD/COMMISSION:  Food Retail Improvement and Development Grant (FRIDG) Program Advisory Committee

Address

Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Ag Marketing & Development Divison
625 Robert Street North
St Paul, MN
55155


Supporting Entity/Enabling Legislation Supported by Department of Agriculture (MDA)

ENABLING LEGISLATION
M.S. 17.1018
Enabled: 06-01-2016
Revisor of Statutes Link

Chair and Contact
CONTACT
Jennifer Alexander
(651) 201-6631
CHAIR
TITLE
NAME
EMAIL
PHONE
PRIMARY
Board Contact
Jennifer Alexander
jennifer.j.alexander@state.mn.us
(651) 201-6631
Yes
Good Food Access Program Staff
Jenny Lezer
Jenny.Lezer@state.mn.us
(651) 201-6133
No
TITLE
NAME
EMAIL
PHONE
PRIMARY
No chairs or co-chairs found.
Membership

Membership includes:

  • Commissioner of Health or designee
  • Commissioner of Employment and Economic Development or designee
  • Commissioner of Children, Youth, and Families or designee
  • One person designated by the Council for Minnesotans of African Heritage
  • One person designated by the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council
  • One person designated by the Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans
  • One person designated by the Council on Latino Affairs
  • One person designated by the Minnesota Farmers Union
  • One person representing the grocery industry
  • One person representing rural economic or community development
  • One person representing urban or suburban economic or community development
  • Two people representing political subdivisions of the state
  • One person representing public health experts
  • One person representing philanthropic foundations
  • One person representing economic or community development financial institutions
  • One person representing the University of Minnesota Regional Sustainable Development Partnership
  • One person representing a statewide hunger relief organization engaged in addressing food security
  • One person representing a community-based organization engaged in addressing food security
  • One person representing immigrant farmer-led organizations
  • One person representing small business technical assistance with experience in food retail
  • Up to four additional members with economic development, health equity, financial or other relevant expertise.

At least half of the members must reside in or their organizations must serve rural Minnesota.

Member Info

COMPENSATION

  • Per Diem: $0.00
  • Other Compensation: No compensation or reimbursement allowed

MEMBERSHIP DETAILS

  • Requires Older Member - no
  • Requires Senate Approval - no
  • Members file campaign finance and disclosure - no
Entity Powers and Duties, Activity Summary

The advisory committee must advise the commissioner of agriculture on:

  1. Managing the program
  2. Establishing program criteria
  3. Establishing project eligibility guidelines
  4. Establishing application processes and additional selection criteria
  5. Establishing annual monitoring and accountability mechanisms
  6. Facilitating leveraging of additional public and private investments
  7. Promoting the program statewide

ACTIVITY SUMMARY

Since Fiscal Year 2017, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture has supported the Food Retail Improvement and Development Grant (FRIDG) Program (formerly the Good Food Access Program) goals “to increase the availability of and access to affordable, nutritious, and culturally appropriate food, including fresh fruits and vegetables, for underserved communities.”

In practice, this program helps grocery stores and small food retailers across Minnesota better serve their communities – especially communities with limited access to fresh, nutritious food. The program does this through two primary grant opportunities:

  • Retailer Equipment and Infrastructure – for stores to upgrade their spaces or purchase equipment (like freezers, shelving, or refrigeration) that make it easier to stock and sell nutritious, affordable, and culturally relevant foods.
  • Technical Assistance Provider Support – for organizations that work directly with food retailers, helping them with business support, training, or other specialized assistance.

Funding for the FRIDG Program comes through the Agricultural Growth, Research, and Innovation (AGRI) Program, with an allocation of $1 million per year in Fiscal Years 2026 and 2027.

Meeting Information
Meetings typically last: 1-2 hours
Meeting Frequency: Meetings will be held at least two times per year, and the dates, times, and length of the meetings are still to be determined.

Meetings are held at:
Typically virtual, to engage committee members statewide


Fiscal Information
Annual Staff Hours: 0.00
Total Appropriations:
Appropriations Description:
Fiscal Year Expenses: $0.00

Expenses Description:

Open Positions (5)
POSITION SEAT AUTHORITY 21-DAY MIN GUARANTEE #SEATS ACTION
Financial Institution - Economic Or Community Deve Financial Institution - Economic Or Community Deve Commissioner of Agriculture 11/18/2022 1 APPLY
Immigrant Farmer-led Org. Rep. Immigrant Farmer-led Org. Rep. Commissioner of Agriculture 11/30/2018 1 APPLY
Political Subdivision (1) Political Subdivision (1) Commissioner of Agriculture 11/22/2019 1 APPLY
Politican Subdivision (2) Politican Subdivision (2) Commissioner of Agriculture 11/23/2020 1 APPLY
Public Health Expert Representative Public Health Expert Representative Commissioner of Agriculture 11/18/2022 1 APPLY
NAME POSITION APPLICATION DATE
Zachary Paige Economic Dev, Health Equity, Financial or Other Exp 6/3/2025
Kathryn Gonzales Public Health Expert Representative 8/13/2025
Susie West Public Health Expert Representative 12/8/2025
No pending appointments found.
POSITION/SEAT
APPOINTING AUTHORITY
MEMBER NAME
STATUS
TERM END
Direct Appointments
Commissioner of Children, Youth, and Families or Designee
Commissioner of Children, Youth, and Families
Sarah Aughenbaugh
Vacated
01/04/2027
Commissioner of DEED or Designee
Commissioner of Employment and Economic Development
Kirk Crow Shoe
Filled
01/02/2027
Commissioner of Health or Designee
Commissioner of Health
Sadie Gannett
Filled
01/04/2027
Council for Minnesotans of African Heritage Designee
Council For Minnesotans Of African Heritage
Linda Sloan
Vacated
01/04/2027
Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans Designee
Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans
Latino Affairs Council Designee
Minnesota Council on Latino Affairs
Sonia Reyes
Vacated
01/04/2027
Minnesota Farmers Union Designee
Minnesota Farmers Union
Steven Read
Vacated
01/04/2027
Minnesota Indian Affairs Council Designee
Minnesota Indian Affairs Council
Simone Senogles
Vacated
01/04/2027
Open Appointments (17)
POSITION/SEAT
APPOINTING AUTHORITY
MEMBER NAME
STATUS
TERM END
Community Based Org - Food Security
Community Based Org - Food Security
Commissioner of Agriculture
Erich Heppner
Filled
01/03/2028
Economic Dev, Health Equity, Financial or Other Exp
Economic Dev, Health Equity, Financial Or Other Exp #1
Commissioner of Agriculture
Keith Olander
Filled
01/03/2028
Economic Dev, Health Equity, Financial or Other Exp #2
Commissioner of Agriculture
Jennifer Theodore
Filled
01/03/2028
Economic Dev, Health Equity, Financial Or Other Exp #3
Commissioner of Agriculture
William Nelson
Filled
01/04/2027
Economic Dev, Health Equity, Financial Or Other Exp #4
Commissioner of Agriculture
Zachary Paige
Filled
01/03/2029
Financial Institution - Economic Or Community Deve
Financial Institution - Economic Or Community Deve
Commissioner of Agriculture
Janie Moore
Posted
01/01/2023
Grocery Industry Representative
Grocery Industry Representative
Commissioner of Agriculture
Steven Barthel
Filled
01/03/2028
Immigrant Farmer-led Org. Rep.
Immigrant Farmer-led Org. Rep.
Commissioner of Agriculture
Pakou Hang
Posted
01/07/2019
Philanthropic Foundation Representative
Philanthropic Foundation Representative
Commissioner of Agriculture
Vong Thao
Filled
01/03/2029
Political Subdivision (1)
Political Subdivision (1)
Commissioner of Agriculture
Tamara Downs Schwei
Posted
01/06/2020
Politican Subdivision (2)
Politican Subdivision (2)
Commissioner of Agriculture
Alyssa Fritz
Posted
01/01/2021
Public Health Expert Representative
Public Health Expert Representative
Commissioner of Agriculture
Lyna Nyamwaya
Posted
01/01/2023
Rural Economic Or Community Development Representative
Rural Economic Or Community Development Representa
Commissioner of Agriculture
Sarah Swedburg
Filled
01/04/2027
Small Business Tech Assist-food Retail
Small Business Tech Assist-food Retail
Commissioner of Agriculture
Staci Headley
Filled
01/04/2027
Statewide Hunger Relief Org Rep
Statewide Hunger Relief Org Rep
Commissioner of Agriculture
Leah Gardner
Filled
01/04/2027
U Of M Regional Sustainable Dev Partnership
U Of M Regional Sustainable Dev Partnership
Commissioner of Agriculture
Beth Labenz
Filled
01/03/2028
Urban Or Suburban Economic Or Community Developmen
Urban Or Suburban Economic Or Community Developmen
Commissioner of Agriculture
Pam Bishop
Filled
01/03/2029
ALL BOARDS/COMMISSIONS

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