Nonprofit seeks grocery stores for low-income communities

‘Food deserts’ far too common

Steve Hawley, May 20, 10.

The Food Trust, a Pennsylvania-based nonprofit, is encouraging the development of grocery stores in underserved, low-income areas, according to an interview in The Atlantic.

Yael Lehmann, the executive director of The Food Trust, says that the group was founded in Philadelphia in 1992 after some individuals realized that many low-income people had to travel great distances to get to the supermarket. Many people in higher-income areas were unaware of these underserved “food deserts,” so The Food Trust worked to educate the public.

Access to fresh food is more than a matter of convenience, says Lehmann. It also has significant health consequences, and diet-related diseases and deaths are noticeably higher in those food deserts. First Lady Michelle Obama, who has emphasized the importance of healthy food, started a Healthy Food Financing Initiative with the goal of eliminating food deserts within seven years. The program, which is based partly on a program started by The Food Trust, will spend $400 million in its first year.

In addition, he says supermarkets can serve as community and economic anchors, drawing shoppers and businesses. In New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, Lehmann says the only thing that brought residents back to neighborhoods was supermarkets. Neal Pierce agreed in a recent column, saying that grocery stores can become the centers of new, walkable neighborhoods.

Houston Tomorrow, along with several other groups, recently formed a Houston Food Policy Workgroup to examine food policy issues in the Houston region. The group meets the second Wednesday of every month at the Upper Kirby District building and is open to the public.

More from Beyond

Comments

Page 1 of 1 pages