Food deserts are defined by their lack of access to healthy food. A major cause of this is that there are no nearby grocery stores. This is especially limiting for those low-income families who have no access to transportation to get to the grocery store a few miles away. It's much more convenient for them to purchase food at the nearby Speedway or McDonald's, but unfortunately neither convenience stores nor fast food chains provide many healthful options. Grocery store chains abandoning low-income areas are actually are a major cause of food deserts, as discussed in this video. The grocery chains don't want to take the financial risks of opening locations in such low-income areas where business is less stable.
However, the CEO of Farmer's Best Market, Karriem Beyah, takes these risks. He holds high standards for his stores with a three day turn over for all fruits and vegetables to insure a fresh quality product. These standards have helped to improve the health of many low-income residents in the areas in which he has opened his stores, by providing greater access to healthful and affordable foods. Yet even he admits that he hasn't made a profit yet through his stores, he's just making enough money to pay the bills and keep his head above the water. And that's a business plan that a grocery chain would be guaranteed to reject.
In America's capitalistic market, chains such as Wal-mart, Giant Eagle and Kroger are not out for you're best interests, but for their own profit and success. Opening in low-income areas doesn't provide the same profit margin as opening a store in more affluent areas. But that is exactly what America needs to happen to address and solve the issue of food deserts. Some ways to address this issue, suggested by the USDA, are to provide subsidies or rezone so it's cheaper for a chain to initially open a grocery store in these areas. As a result the increased costs of opening the store wouldn't be reflected in an increased price for produce in low-income areas (usually Americans with a family income of less than $8,000 end up paying 1.3 times more for groceries than the middle class consumers who have incomes between $8,000 to $30,000).
The other issue stopping stores from opening in these areas is a lack of demand. If the residence in these areas are habituated to their diets, then why would they change their habits? Just because supermarkets are built, will they come? According to the findings of the longitudinal Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults study, simply introducing a supermarket doesn't improve or change eating habits. Although decreasing the amount of fast food restaurants nearby does improve diet. Obviously just introducing supermarkets won't do the trick, but the USDA suggests that public education programs that promote purchasing healthful foods could help solve that problem. By encouraging people to change their shopping habits through these programs, the USDA could create a demand for healthful foods.
Fresh-Food-Free Zones. TIME Video. TIME, n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2011.' Food. Economic Research Service. USDA, June 2009. Web. 20 Oct. 2011. <http://www.ers.usda.gov>. 3. Hagen, Caitlin. "If you build a supermarket, will they come?" The Chart. CNN, 11 July 2011. Web. 28 Nov. 2011. <http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com>. |
Columbus' very own Veggie Van, is a working solution to food deserts in our city. The veggie van drives around Columbus, stopping in low-income areas without easy access to healthy produce. They deliver bags of pre-packaged fruits and vegetables to centers of the communities, such as schools, head-start facilities or recreational centers. These centers in turn distribute the produce to needy families in the area. Each bag weighs 14 pounds and costs only $12 per bag. That's actually a very good price, considering findings from the University of Washington Research that on average 1,000 calories of healthy food cost $18.16, compared to a mere $1.76 for 1,000 calories of junk food. The vans accept food stamps as a payment as well as credit and cash.
It's a good step in the right direction, and a creative way of getting fresh produce to people who aren't near an established grocery store.
To volunteer or learn more visit local matters.
"The Veggie Van." Local Matters . N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Nov. 2011. n. pag. The New York Times. Web. 20 Oct. 2011. <http://well.blogs.nytimes.com>. |
