By Olivia Marcano
Rochester is in a health crisis called a “Food desert” or “Food Swamp” where people are bringing to light a disproportion in healthy and sustainable food sources in our low income, minority dense communities. This issue has existed for decades but it seems like it’s just now gaining traction in the media and being advocated against. Food deserts came about when supermarkets abandoned our inner city communities in an attempt to ”follow the money” symbolized by the suburbs, leaving inner city residents hungry and confused. Those without access to transportation or suburban grocery prices suffered all the more. To fill this void, redlined communities faced an uprising in cheap, unhealthy food vendors which should only sustain one for so long due to lack of necessary nutrition which caused a health decrease across an entire population, our city’s Black population, who was already vulnerable to poor health due to redlining conditions. To illustrate, Healthline.com states, “The causes of food deserts are multifaceted. Public policy and economic practices that are embedded in systemic racism often play a role. Social, economic, and political conditions have been shown to reduce people’s access to healthy foods.” These standards continue to plague the minority community today which goes to show that this issue and the struggles that come with it is not an individual problem with an easy or immediate solution. The factors that cause this are embedded into our racist, capitalist society and can't be remedied with a single solution. This will be a long process with extensive aspects to address. With so many issues to tackle, where should we start?
1 Comment
Daniel Hart
3/31/2023 07:02:22 am
Come on, Olivia! Talking about the real issues yet again! I love reading your work. I have never heard the term food swamp as opposed to food desert, but it's interesting to see the nuance of difference. Corner stores and mini-marts do not lend themselves to healthy nutrition. I wonder how you think school food comes into play. To me, making sure kids get healthful food for breakfast and lunch that they ACTUALLY LIKE is critical for social justice. Our Rochester Public Market is one of the best in the nation, but how many people actually frequent that on the regular?
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
February 2024
Categories
All
|