When Kroger shuttered its Lake City Fred Meyer this month, the neighborhood became a food desert without a full-service grocery store. Five other Kroger-owned stores have recently closed in Redmond, Everett, Kent, Tacoma and Mill Creek. Paired with the steady death of Seattle stores over the last few years, the closures sparked worry among government officials, unions and community members alike, that these food deserts could spread.

On Tuesday, the Seattle City Council unanimously approved an ordinance that declares a public health emergency, temporarily banning grocery and pharmacy chains from enforcing anti-competition covenants that could keep people from accessing fresh food. These “negative use restrictions” allow companies to block their rivals from moving onto their former lots. T

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