NNPA Columnist
If any of us were forced to live in a desert, we’d probably find trying to survive in a desolate wasteland difficult. But through a series of public policies and private sector decisions, millions of mostly low-income and minority families in America have been condemned to subsist in vast urban “food deserts” that pose serious health threats to their children.
Food deserts, areas with no grocery stores, are generally in communities where most residents can buy food only at “convenience” stores, liquor stores, gas stations or fast food restaurants that sell foods high in fat, sugar, and salt. Getting to stores that offer a greater variety of foods is often challenging since many families lack cars and many city and state governments have cut back on investments in public transportation.
When many Americans are resolving to eat more healthfully in the new year, children and families living in food deserts often lack that choice. In many urban neighborhoods, it’s easier to buy a pint of liquor, a fried chicken wing, or a gun than a fresh tomato.
The failure of supermarket chains to locate stores that offer fresh fruits and vegetables in inner-city communities – a form of food redlining – has had a profound impact on the nutrition, health and well-being of families lacking cars or access to public transportation. As a consequence, children growing up in families trapped in food desert ZIP codes are at risk of becoming obese and developing early hypertension and full-blown high blood pressure that can lead to type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Food deserts originated with the urban white flight of the 1960s and 1970s. When white, middle-class residents left cities for the suburbs, grocery stores followed, according to PolicyLink, a national nonprofit. In urban communities, the nearest grocery store is roughly twice as far as the nearest fast food restaurant. Nationally, the typical low-income neighborhood has 30 percent fewer supermarkets than higher-income neighborhoods.
Access to nutritious food is a matter of social justice. We must follow the lead of First Lady Michelle Obama, whose community garden at the White House has focused public attention on better nutrition as part of a national movement to improve children’s health and prevent obesity and diabetes. If we fail to ensure our children receive better nutrition, our nation will pay a heavy price in increased rates of obesity, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and cancer, resulting in the loss of resources and productivity.
As legislators struggle to reform our nation’s health care system and contain its skyrocketing costs, addressing the problem of access to nutritious food is one obvious step we must take.
Marian Wright Edelman is president of the Children’s Defense Fund (www.childrensdefense.org).