What a sad-sack pile of black bananas, I thought, as I stood in my local corner store the other night. I had stopped there to stock up on quick breakfast options for my morning gym sessions. The other fruits were pretty awful as well. But the local supermarket had already closed and my kitchen was empty, so I stocked up on chocolate chip granola bars instead.
Now, it’s a bit of a joke that busy New Yorkers live out of bodegas and restaurants and only have vodka in their home freezers. The rest of America has access to giant supermarkets bulging with thousands of products, at least some of which are fresh produce.
But the fact is that there are "food deserts" in America, and they probably contribute to obesity and sickness. They’re associated with poverty—mostly urban (and also rural) stretches where fast-food joints and mini marts take the place of real grocery stores.
Two new studies in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that (1) low-income families have a hard time affording all the fruits and veggies they need to eat healthfully, and (2) chances are, there probably aren’t many nearby places to buy them anyway. Of the stores identified in a representative rural area in South Carolina, 74% were convenience stores, and only 4% of those sold any apples, cucumbers, oranges, or tomatoes.
So if the reasons that people have unhealthy diets include lack of money and choice, what can remedy those causes? The study authors say the government can do a better job of supporting local farmers markets (look up your state here) and that concerned citizens should rally behind policies that provide incentives and subsidies for greener grocers. And maybe yell at the guy who has the nerve to offer up those bananas.
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