Food deserts are places where healthy food isn’t easily accessible. This usually comes in the form of a lack of grocery stores in low-income neighborhoods. ” a location lacking fresh fruit, vegetables, and other healthful whole foods, in part due to a lack of grocery stores, farmers’ markets, or healthy food providers.” according to the Illinois Government. Food is one of the most important aspects of existence as a living being.
Nutrition is required for everyday life and therefore, inaccessibility to nutrient-dense foods is highly problematic. Yet, all across the world there exists areas that don’t have full access to healthy fruits and vegetables and other nutrient-dense foods.
This doesn’t exclude 1st world nations either. Food deserts exist in almost every major city in America. Any place that can be called “ inner city”, typically can also be called a food desert. The reason why is because of the movements of capital.
Food Is a Commodity
Unfortunately, as a consequence of capitalism’s tendency to privatize and commodify every aspect of existence, food is a commodity. Commodities have markets and companies exist to sell commodities. Whether that commodity comes as a service, like concert experiences, or goods like Protein powder, companies exist to make a profit.
Grocery stores cost a lot of money to sustain themselves. The lights, the refrigeration of things like fruits and vegetables, and paying staff all require a lot of money. The commodity that is sold in the transaction is food. Therefore, a grocery store needs to know that their investment is going to have a high return on profit.
If a grocery store exists in a low-income area, people have less disposable income which means they are more likely to go for fast food options or local cheap food stops. This is one of the reasons why grocery stores simply don’t exist in many low-income areas. This leaves fast food franchisers and local grease-filled food to be the primary means of sustenance for low-income communities. This leads to higher rates of physical conditions like Diabetes and conditions like hypertension. Unfortunately, class issues are highly correlated with race issues in America.”
Black People Primarily Live in Food Deserts
As a consequence of over 400 years of anti-black oppression, black people are the ones who live in the food deserts. The GI Bill after World War II afforded many white Americans socio-economic mobility through homeownership.
However, black veterans were not afforded those same life-changing opportunities. White America progressed and Black America was pushed into ghettos.
Redlining History
Furthermore, the city planners pushed black people into “red zones” where investors should invest. This same “ bad investment zone” mentality is still prevalent with many economic institutions around high-Black areas.
This history of oppression and poverty has led many black people to be much poorer than white people.” The median income for Black households was $52,860, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That’s compared with $77,250 for white households — a difference of $24,390, or 32%.” according to Lending Tree.
Are There Solutions to This Problem?
There are a few solutions to the problem. The first tackles the actual lack of access to the food. Many food banks give away food to people in the community. However, sometimes this food isn’t of the highest quality or children simply don’t want it. The next solution requires a bit more political will. What if they could be subsidized by the government?
If part of the problem is that grocery stores are leaving neighborhoods because of low profits, then government subsidies could fund their continued existence.
Government Groceries
There is this solution, and there is also the solution of government grocery stores in general. While many would at first shirk at the idea of the government simply providing food, free food is always popular. The reason why is that people need to eat, and if they don’t have to pay for it then that opportunity to eat for free is always attractive.
It doesn’t have to be free, although that would be preferred, it could be at a great discount so that working-class families don’t have to spend as much money. In conclusion, poor black families deserve to eat Broccoli just as much as rich white families.
Written by Kenneth Mazerat
Sources
Illinois government: Illinois Food Deserts Annual Report
Lending Tree: Snapshots of Black and White Disparities in Income, Wealth, Savings and More by Maggie Davis and Dragana Filipovic
Rand: What Would It Take to Close America’s Black-White Wealth Gap? by Doug Irving
Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Harlan Harris’ Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
First Inset Image Courtesy of Calgary Reviews’ Flickr Page – Creative Commons License https://flic.kr/p/aReuAB
