Today I am in the town of Bridgeport, CA. And while you may not think a beautiful town at the base of the Sierra Nevada would be a "food desert," it in many ways is. A food desert is when a community lacks access to good quality, wholesome food. I asked my friend Tina if the general store in town would have goat cheese for our salad and she jut looked at me like, "are you serious?" We take food access for granted in most cities. A food desert usually means there are no markets in close proximity and that only convenient stores and fast food restaurants are available. Residents have to truck long miles to get to get to a decent grocer or food establishment. Typically, food deserts are associated with inner cities and economically deprived neighborhoods but in rural towns like Bridgeport, getting good food is hard to find as well. In Bridgeport, locals are starting to grow their own food but that can be hard for those in urban environments if a community garden is not available. When opening a grocery store isn't probable and 'growing your own' isn't possible, other opportunities exist for both rural and urban communities like starting a farmers market, a CSA program, a community pot-luck dinner or soup night, etc... What are some other ideas for "food desert"?
3 Comments
5/20/2011 08:58:17 pm
Interestingly enough there are food deserts in some of our major cities too, upper Manhattan, Phoenix, Chicago, etc. (Even though you would think of them a being quite easily accessible). These are the places where economically priced, healthy food would make an even more important impact upon the health of communities who can't afford to buy organic at Whole Foods let alone afford the cost of getting there. It all starts with education, right?
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9/27/2012 11:08:41 pm
Nice blog, giving information about food desert. I like your site it’s quite informative and I would like to come here again as I get some time from my work and I will share it with my friends.
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