by Nomad
The city of Birmingham, Alabama is trying out an urban project to bring healthy food to neighborhoods in need.
In
past blog posts we have taken a look at the problem of "food deserts." Where deserts are places with limited water or limited access to whatever water is there, food deserts are areas where residents may not have access to affordable and healthy food
options.
That's particularly true when it comes to the healthy alternatives (fresh fruit
and vegetables). According to a report prepared for Congress by the Economic Research Service of the US Department of Agriculture, about 2.3 million people (or 2.2 percent of all US households) live more than one mile away from a supermarket and do not own a car.
There's no mistaking it. The problem cuts down racial and class lines. Food
deserts can be most generally found in communities of color and low-income
areas (where many people don't have cars).
In contrast, wealthier parts of town, studies tell
us, have three times as many supermarkets as poor areas. And white
neighborhoods have on average up to four times as many supermarkets as black
neighborhoods. To make matters worse, grocery stores in African-American
communities are usually smaller with less selection.
It's
only a slight exaggeration to say that in some poorer sections of urban America, it could be
easier to buy illegal drugs than to find a healthy meal for a family.
So, that's the problem, but
what are the solutions?
Well, the city of Birmingham, Alabama has approved of a innovative plan to bring the food to those who most need it.
The board of supervisors for the Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority (BJCTA) has approved of the city's plan to create so-called "mobile food markets."
