Posted on 05/28/2011 6:31:57 AM PDT by 2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten
Durham, N.C. — Healthier food might soon be coming to a corner store near you, thanks to an initiative by local, state and federal governments to bring better eating options to areas without grocery stores.
Those who live along Angier Avenue in east Durham can buy food, but most of it is not very healthy. A mini mart sells candy and snacks, and a diner features a one-pound hot dog. The federal government calls places like this "food deserts."
"All the grocery stores have left, and all that people have access to is what's in a convenience store," said Sheree Vodicka, a spokeswoman for the North Carolina Division of Public Health.
Grocery stores typically carry more fresh fruits and vegetables and healthier food than convenience stores. "If you can't get to them, you can't choose those foods," Vodicka said. But things are on changing on Angier Avenue. Triangle Residential Options for Substance Abusers opened a grocery store there a year ago. It's become part of a new state effort to work with stores to bring fruits and vegetables to those food deserts.
The TROSA store manager said that business is brisk and people are buying healthier foods. "The community realizes that they have access, that they have resources," said David Reese, co-chair of Partnership for a Healthy Durham. People also get lessons on how to cook fresh vegetables from the county health department. "A lot of people may have been raised not eating it in the healthiest way, so we're trying to teach people to cook things quick and easy," nutritionist Kelly Warnock said.
But the program is about more than improving human health. Organizers hope it will bring back some big grocery stores to improve the community's economic health.
(Excerpt) Read more at wral.com ...
Yes, because Ketchup contains Tomato paste.
Except, the Tomato is a fruit! It was “deemed” a vegetable by, you guessed it, the government - in order to increase tax revenue. Can’t make this stuff up.
“Hmmm.....if they managed both ends of the equation......???
Food stamps can only be used at government run food stores.......”
___________________________________________________________________
Soon . . . ONLY food stamps can be used at government-run food stores . . .
Only government-run food stores will be sanctioned, and they will only sell government-approved foods . . .
All employees at the food stores, and at every link in their supply chain - farmers and farm workers, farm machinery maufacturers and suppliers, fuel and fertilizer manufacturers, box and can manufactures and suppliers for their raw materials, every shipping agency along the chain, manufacturers of all vehicles and parts and fuel involved in transporting food, fixtures, etc - ALL will be required to join unions, and to be from non-right-to-work states . . .
Any US lands on which the foods are grown will become government property . . .
Every government-run food store will require a TSA safety-check upon entry, and a pat-down looking for shoplifted items upon leaving . . .
Entry into the parking lots will require a TSA vehicle search, and an extra gas-tax fee based upon distance from the driver’s home to the store . . .
Body Mass Index measurments will be recorded in a data base upon arrival at the store: Overweight shoppers will be limited in the articles of food they may purchase, an added tax proportional to weight will be added, and the truly obese will simply be denied entrance to the store . . .
HSA/TSA/FDA will establish new departments, complete with warrantless searches by SWAT teams, to control the inevitable food black market that will emerge . . .
Have I missed anything?
Yesiree! There’s something to be said for the idea that us White folks sure do know what’s best for everyone else in the world.
Know that area well - besides the obvious taxes of crime, vandalism, shoplifting would need to factor in such things as corrupt Chicago politics. I’m no expert but color me shocked if there aren’t a myriad of local taxes, fees, regulations and kickbacks that would make it very expensive indeed to open up any kind of small business there.
Wonder where their 2010 financials are.
Your faith in government is exceedingly low. This must be based on previous examples.
People wanted the jobs. And the access to cheap food and products.
Not logical!
How did you get to the point where government controls ALL food stores?
Not a likely, or logical “step”.
“Have I missed anything?”
Yes!
How do you get from running “some” food stores to running “ALL” food stores?
There would be armed insurrection in between!
Drought has taken care of China and Russia.
What’s their drought situation? thank you
the point is it is NOT the business of gubmint tostick its nose into its boss citizens eating habits, etc.
Not really. The government’s job (as it sees it) is to buy votes with taxpayer funds, borrow from the future when there aren’t enough taxpayers left, destroy ambition, divide the people. It is doing an EXCELLENT job!
My lack of faith is in the people that carry an EBT card and their self-described “leaders” who will turn this into another wasteful boondoggle as the gummint just keeps on doing its “job”.
I think you just nailed it.
Ketchup as a vegetable? Yes, I remember that one, my father knew some of the people involved. What happened was there was a Federal requirement that subsidized lunches serve vegetables. The problem was the kids weren’t eating them. Another requirement came down, to reduce the amount of waste. Imagine a couple of bureaucrats under a deadline trying to figure out how to make the kids eat their vegetables:
“Well, ketchup is made from tomatoes. That’s a vegetable, right? At least they’ll eat it.”
“Come on, nobodies gonna believe that!”
“At least it’ll confuse them long enough for us to think of a better one.”
“Let’s do it.”
Then the media got wind of it, and the rest is history.
And now you know - the REST of the story!
If you google it, you will find recent articles on China and Russia’s terrible drought. In particular, within the past few days, we had a article on China’s meager food production on Free Republic. China is lacking in water to use for crop growth, the drought is so bad.
Like Texas’ cattle industry, Russia’s rural lands have burned in a big way and more is expected. At one point the fires were so bad, cities like Moscow were threatened. Fort Worth was threatened when the Texas fires were at their worst. I think we have the fires under control in Texas at the moment. Russia was not prepared and equipped for their fires like the US is.
All the major food producers have been knocked on their heels this year. While you are at it, google coffee production failure in South America...now that is scarey! Coffee prices are expected to rise 17% shortly.
Not that I doubt this administration wouldn't try
we both know that is their goal. Then with a new name, they can spend more money fixing it up.
Paging Thomas Sowell: He has addressed the issue of stores-in-bad-neighborhoods extensively.
Listen to him.
WHY have all the grocery stores left these neighborhoods?
Doesn't one need to answer that question before thinking the government has the solution?
Probably still being cooked :)
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