'How about a nice pie, Mrs. O? Just a little closer now...'
Posted on 07/25/2011 6:14:11 PM PDT by SkyPilot
What a first lady, a chain store and others are doing to try to make fresh fruits and vegetables more available in poor communities.
Nothing’s ever as simple as we’d like it to be. A case in point: Policies that simply increase access to supermarkets may not get people to choose an apple over ice cream, a recent study reported.
Changing people’s eating habits is difficult, in other words. One reason is money. Healthful foods such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean meats and dairy, can often be pricey. For the cost of a couple of peaches, a person can get a full meal on the dollar menu at a fast-food outlet. Another problem: The produce in stores in low income neighborhoods is often of low quality.
This is a hefty problem, given that 1 in every 3 children and adults is overweight or obese. Policy-makers and health-food advocates across the country are developing programs to increase access to healthful foods—and make it easier for people to buy them.
Here's a look at some of them:
-- Earlier this week, First Lady Michelle Obama introduced the California FreshWorks Fund, a $200-million partnership between the California Endowment and grocers, healthcare organizations and financial institutions. The project is meant to promote development of grocery stores, farmers markets, gardening programs and other solutions to increase access to high-quality, healthful foods in areas with limited availability (so-called food deserts). Retailers that offer a greater selection of healthful foods and sell less junk food will get easier access to the grants. Organizers said they hoped the program would create 6,000 jobs in California.
(Excerpt) Read more at articles.latimes.com ...
'How about a nice pie, Mrs. O? Just a little closer now...'
The thread is about “food deserts” as a sociopolitical construct, not real deserts. The people in question can have Amazon.com deliver sustenance food, fuel, and cookware to their door for $100/month.
Emergency preparedness is a discussion worth it’s own thread.
“Healthful foods such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean meats and dairy, can often be pricey”
And can often be cheap.
May I introduce you to my A Buck A Plate blog? http://abuckaplate.blogspot.com
> Grocery store chains don’t operate in ghetto areas because of the shoplifting problems. Pure and simple reason.
I’ve wondered if a different model of store would work in urban areas. I’ve long been wondering if this is the grocery store of the future.
The building would be a fully enclosed warehouse, where no people other than workers were allowed in the back where the food is. It has a front desk or desks.
You phone your order in, it’s picked in the back by workers, and brought out to you at the desk (you could schedule a pickup time).
You look it over to make sure it matches what you ordered and that it’s ok, pay for it, and leave with it.
No shoplifting is possible - the only loss would be worker theft and that’s more easily controlled.
The store doesn’t have to have fancy presentation, lighting, etc. You need less people to handle the food, it’s picked once, not displayed, moved into the cart, out of the cart, into the bag, etc.
In really bad areas the front desk areas could be behind glass like at bank windows.
____________________________________________________________________________
Oh, Ye of little faith and less imagination.
I, for one, can fully appreciate the wisdom of seeking shelter in one of the multitude of Junk Food Oasis dotting the landscape in the depths of the brutal Food Deserts.
I also can fully appreciate and endorse the inherent logic and wisdom in opting for the bag of chips instead of potatoes or carrots. When your most favorite junk food oasis in the food desert is named Earnie’s Discount Drive Through Liquor's and junk food is not all that is on the shopping list it may be prudent to avoid foods that require peeling with sharp edged cutting implements.
Remember, when bad things happen in the food desert, we are the ones who pick up the tab for the emergency room visit and medical bills for follow up care, and social security long term disability payments,ect.
Oh, and I almost forgot the one most important point - it’s all for the children
Urban Stores = Flash Mobs
http://www.wimp.com/danceanymore/
this from 1973, I think mandatory dancing in schools would be cheaper
If you’re getting a government check in the first place, that means you don’t like to work.
Exercise and dieting require work and discipline.
Quit throwing money down the toilet on solutions that don’t even address the real problem.
You forgot one main item, there should be a web site with a list of every item in the store cataloged. Then people could order it either by phone or online and they would not have to guess at what they wanted to buy. Your idea has some merit but with large crowds there would be some drawbacks. You would have to have more than one window and quite a few warehouse workers.
What did Whitney Houston used to say on that horrible reality show?
HELL TO THE NO.
I like watching reruns of "The Waltons" on the Hallmark Channel. The Walton children (even the youngest) helped pick peaches for a dollar a day. They were allowed to take all the culls they wanted, which were turned into preserves. I suggest instead of taking truckloads of produce into poor neighborhoods, they bus the poor to the farms and let them pick it for themselves.
Must be that “good and plenty” clause that John Conyers spoke about.
If all her cherished miinorities didn’t steal everything they can lay their hands on the major market chains would build stores in their neighborhods.
http://www.peapod.com/site_frameset.jhtml?NUM1=1264180550560
somebody stole your idea. Dang plagerists.
$200,000 MILLION for a new government program?!?!?!
...Yup, that is what we need, ANOTHER NEW GOVERNMENT PROGRAM :(
Interesting that one thing (maybe the only thing) that Detroit is doing right encouraging urban gardens. It costs practically nothing and the urban poor get to literally reap the benefits of their work....they farm vacant land — a jobs program for youth to teach them responsibility and job sills, and the youth and poor families in the neighborhood get the produce.
Why couldn’t this be done elsewhere? I am sure it would not cost $200 Million for some shovels and seeds!!!!!!!!!
As they say, there is nothing new under the Sun.
Healthful foods such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean meats and dairy, can often be pricey. For the cost of a couple of peaches, a person can get a full meal on the dollar menu at a fast-food outlet. Another problem: The produce in stores in low income neighborhoods is often of low quality.
I think one of the reasons for this program is a ploy for queen moochelle to appear like she cares about the common man (or in this case, common family).
I was amazed to find that I live right across the street from two food desert areas, even though there are 2 Publix stores and a local fresh vegetable stand within 2 miles of me. And public transportation to 3 more large chain groceries within 3 miles.
Our Federal government is insane.
Yeah, and it didn’t even cost $200M in tax money.
Actually, I like PeaPod - they accept coupons, charge the same or less as the brick-and-morter, and deliver right to your door.
If you order some minimum amount - no delivery charge. About $100, I think.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.