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Food deserts impacting low income families
Poverty and nutrition
Research essay on food deserts
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The Environmental Protection Agency (2015) defines environmental justice as “the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people, regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies” (p. 1). Although there are laws in place to protect minorities from environmental hazards, there are still several environmental health disparities that they face; one of them being food deserts. A food desert is an underprivileged area where the residents do not have access to fresh, healthy, and affordable foods (Rogers, 2014). Food deserts are typically found in rural or urban areas where there aren’t many supermarkets. According to …show more content…
With limited transportation options, these people are forced to rely on convenience stores and small-scale grocers that do not typically have a large variety of fresh fruit and vegetables. To compound the problem, food deserts are oftentimes laden with fast food restaurants. One study found that the density of fast food restaurants was inversely associated with neighborhood household income (Hilmers, Hilmers, & Dave, 2012). This same study also found that convenience stores were more prevalent in economically deprived communities and communities consisting of mostly minority populations (Hilmers, Hilmers, & Dave, 2012). The principle behind environmental justice is to provide fair and equal treatment to all people. These people are not being provided fair and equal access to the healthy foods that they need and deserve. Accessibility plays a huge role in the consumption of foods. These people are being limited to unhealthy food options which puts them at increased risk of a number of diseases and health …show more content…
Food deserts typically have increased amounts of processed foods, less variety in food choices, and poor nutrient intake in the people that live there (Frndak, 2014). Many people who live in a food desert are of low socioeconomic status, so they tend to eat what is cheap. Oftentimes they eat high-energy, nutrient poor, sugary and fatty foods. They don’t tend to eat many fresh fruits and vegetables because it is too expensive and too difficult to access them. Many chronic diseases have been associated with low consumption of fruits and vegetables. The World Health Organization reports that approximately 1.7 million deaths worldwide can be attributed to low fruit and vegetable consumption (2016). Low fruit and vegetable intake is also one of the top ten selected risk factors for global mortality (World Health Organization, 2016). Furthermore, low fruit and vegetable intake paired with increased consumption of foods that are high in sugar, salt, and fat lead to a number of health problems. It is well known that poor diets are linked to obesity and hypertension, however not everyone knows that poor diets are also linked to cancer. It has been estimated that 30% of all cancer cases are linked to poor dietary habits (World Health Organization, 2011). When looking at cancers of the gastrointestinal tract, that number increases to 70% (World Health Organization, 2011). Poor diets lack essential vitamins and
Many in the U.S., today, try to eat well,balanced, meals to order to maintain a healthy lifestyle. They do so by purchasing their food at farmers markets or making their own meals, so their food isn’t processed or genetically modified. Even though people are trying to maintain health in order to live long lives, without medical complications, many don’t have the opportunity to pursue life like this. In “Research shows food deserts more abundant in minority neighborhoods,” the author, Kelly Brooks, portrays an anecdote and logical reasoning, from Kelly Bower’s research, to thoroughly describe the food deserts in poor minority neighborhoods and how this issue needs to be repaired.
More and more health-conscious individuals are scrutinizing the source of the food their family consumes. However, even the most conscientious consumer is not fully aware of the exhaustive efforts and struggle to get a juicy, ripe strawberry or that plump tomato in the middle of winter, even in Florida. These foods are harvested and picked mostly by seasonal and migrant farm workers. Migrant workers hail, in large part, from Mexico and the Caribbean, and their families often travel with them. Migrant farm workers must endure challenging conditions so that Americans can have the beautiful selection of berries, tomatoes, and other fresh foods often found at places like a farmer’s market or a traditional super market. Seasonal and migrant farm workers suffer a variety of health problems as a result of their constant exposure to stress, the elements, and chemicals such as pesticides. They are paid minimal wages and are expected to work long hours of strenuous labor for pennies on the dollar per piece or per hour. The migrant families are expected to live in substandard quarters and transported to various work sites in unsafe transportation. The fresh fruits and vegetables consumers purchase with little thought reach supermarkets at a cost that is not reflected in the retail price. This cost is ultimately absorbed by farm workers in Florida and other areas throughout the country, who are among the poorest of American workers.
A major issue that is occurring in America is a phenomena known as “food deserts”, most are located in urban areas and it's difficult to buy affordable or good-quality fresh food. Whereas in the past, food deserts were thought to be solved with just placing a grocery store in the area, but with times it has become an issue that people are not picking the best nutritional option. This issue is not only making grocery store in food deserts are practically useless and not really eliminating the issue of food deserts because even when they are given a better nutritional option, and people are not taking it. In my perspective, it takes more than a grocery store to eliminate ‘food deserts’. It's more about demonstrating the good of picking the nutritional option and how it can help them and their families. For example, “Those who live in these areas are often subject to poor diets as a result and are at a greater risk of becoming obese or developing chronic diseases.”(Corapi, 2014).
A food desert is a location in which a wide variety of nutrition food is not generally available (Wrigley et al. 261). Food deserts exist in places such as inner cities and isolated rural areas (Morton and Blanchard 1). The purpose of the paper supported by this annotated bibliography is to argue that food deserts do not exist because of discrimination against the poor, but because of forces related to supply and demand. This hypothesis ought to be kept in mind when considering each of the sources (Just and Wansink; Wrigley, Warm and Margetts; Jetter and Cassady; Epstein et al.; Schafft, Jensen and Hinrichs; Bitler and Haider) described in the annotated bibliography.
Because the people who live in food deserts do not get proper supplements of fruits and vegetable, much of their diets are consisted of mainly junk food, fast food, and meats. As a result of this, today, more than one third of adults in America are obese. In addition to obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease can also be results of a lack of healthy food choices, which result from people buying their food from convenience stores that only sell processed foods and from fast food restaurants. This paper attempts to provide readers with a better understanding of the fact that not only do food deserts exists, they are threatening the lives of Amer...
“Food Deserts” are arears where people have a hard time finding affordable, healthy food. These places are usually low-income neighborhoods that do not have any supermarkets nearby but have convenience stores that sell junk food and fast food places around them. Ron Finley, a guerrilla gardener, lives in a “food desert” in South Central Los Angeles. He plants fruit and vegetable gardens to help nourish his community with healthy eating. In the article “Giving the Poor Easy Access to Healthy Food Doesn’t Mean They’ll Buy It,” Margot Sanger-Katz states that “merely adding a grocery store to a poor neighborhood doesn’t make a very big difference” because the diets of the residents living in those neighborhoods did not change. I think “food deserts” are only a part of the bigger problem in America because obesity is everywhere, not just in low-income
Almost everyone has eaten fast food at some point in their lives, but not everyone realizes the negative effects some fast food can have on our nutrition. My family especially is guilty of eating unhealthy fast food meals at least once a week because of our budget and very busy schedules. In Andrea Freeman’s article entitled, “Fast Food: Oppression through Poor Nutrition,” She argues that fast food has established itself as a main source of nutrition for families that live in average neighborhoods and have low-incomes. Freeman begins the article by explaining how the number of fast food outlets is beginning to grow in poor communities because of the cheap prices and quick service these restaurants are famous for. The overabundance of fast
“Food Deserts” as defined by the CDC, are “areas that lack access to affordable fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat milk, and other foods that make up the full range of a healthy diet” (Center for Disease Control and Prevention). In simpler terms, a food desert is a community with little to no grocery stores. Many reports show that neighborhoods with less access to neighborhood grocery stores have a higher risk for obesity and unhealthy diets unlike neighborhoods where residents have better access to neighborhood grocery stores. The “USDA estimates that 23.5 million people, including 6.5 million children, live in low-income areas that are than one mile from a supermarket. Of the 23.5 million, 11.5 million are low-income individuals in households with incomes at or below 200 percent of the poverty line. Of the 2.3 million people living in low-income rural areas that ...
According to Michael Pollan, the best way to eat healthily is to grow fresh vegetables. Pollan’s documentary effectively contributes evidence that eating mostly plants is naturally beneficial and prevents disease. In an experiment conducted by Steven O’Keefe, data reveals that colon cancer is more common in the United States than in Africa. The documentary simply states that the people of Africa eat mostly plants. Michael Pollan suggests that the lack of plant foods in the American diet causes a lack of fiber intake. After collecting this data, Steven O’Keefe swaps the diet of an African and American. This study eventually exposed that more vegetables in a diet can support colon health and prevent colon cancer. When stated so logically, Michael Pollan convinces the viewer that eating “mostly plants” is a necessary change for our health. He argues that historically, eating plants have been naturally healthy to various cultures and has potential to raise the well being of America.
Many of the people living in food deserts are people with low income. These low-income families often turn to the junk food provided at the convenience stores and fast food restaurants because it is all they can afford. Socio-economic status is a defining characteristic of food deserts. Food deserts are most commonly found in areas dominated by minorities and low-income families. Studies show that wealthy areas have about triple the amount of supermarkets as poor urban areas do. In addition to this, predominantly white communities have about 4 times as many grocery stores as predominantly black ones do. Studies also show that grocery stores in African-American neighborhoods are usually smaller and have less option when it comes to the selection of foods.
American citizens economic standing plays a role in the what foods they buy, where they buy, and their accessibility to buy. According to the United States Department of Agriculture an estimated twenty-three and a half million people live in a “food desert”. which is an urban or rural community that has little to no access to fresh food distributors such as a supermarket or farmers market. A lot of times these communities only food options are convenience stores and fast food restaurants, such as McDonalds and 7-Eleven, that...
Healthy food access has been an issue reported among people living in food deserts. A food desert is characterized as an area with a limited access to quality, low cost and nutritional rich foods. People in poorer economic neighborhoods purchase their groceries on a budget. Their budget determines how much food they can buy to last an entire month. The lack of grocery stores within neighborhoods affects the health of people within food deserts.
Most Americans conjure imagery of a planet replete with pristine wilderness, crystal blue oceans, fresh air, and verdant forests when they think about the natural environment. In recent decades, this description is becoming increasingly applicable only to certain areas of the United States because poor and minority communities are overwhelmingly subjected to dangerous environmental hazards. As such, the concept of environmental racism has become a major issue affecting every aspect of their lives because of their placement and proximity to environmentally dangerous areas such as landfills, toxic waste sites, and other forms of pollution. The environmental justice movement seeks to remedy this problem by recognizing the direct link between economic, environmental, race, and health issues. The biggest aim of environmental justice is for all people to live, work, and play in clean, and environmentally safe communities. However, in mainstream American environmentalism, poor and minority communities are typically ignored in environmental communication because their white counterparts dominate the discourse. Recent scholarship suggests that people of color play a crucial role in fighting environmental discrimination because their cultural traditions, experiences, and histories allow them to uniquely communicate environmental risk and health concerns within their communities.
Food deserts is when people are in need of access to healthy foods. There are many actions that can be taken to lessen the risks of obesity and type 2 diabetes. The first thing that can be done is public awareness, to inform others that food deserts are increasing. As it notifies the community and from that, they can start to creating plans or building up organizations for people living in food deserts. First, people who are living in a food desert have a limit of transportation and to get to a location, it is a challenge to do so. How to overcome the barrier of limited transportation is to carpool with people that they know, for example, family members, friends, coworkers, etc. Also, when families plan their meals, they should just go to the
"Global Dietary Changes Threaten Health." World Health Federation. Medtronic Foundation, n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2013. .