When I watched the
documentary “Apple Pushers”, I was appalled to learn about the phenomena, “food
deserts.” From the documentary, I learned that some inner cities of America,
particularly New York, had quickly become “food deserts” after World War II,
because of suburbanization. I had never heard of the term and it seemed
extreme. Isn’t a desert a barren wasteland? This couldn’t possibly happen in
America, the land of plenty. Or could it?
I am from rural Vermont where produce is abundant and I naively assumed all
Americans have a supermarket nearby to purchase fresh food. After all, the
Center for Disease Control recorded that 72.5 million American’s are obese; no
matter where we live, country, city, or suburb we obtain our food from
somewhere. The deep contrast between the two epidemics seemed odd.
After I watched the documentary I learned the working middle class moved out of
the urban areas, and the grocery stores left with them. Fresh foods from
supermarkets were unattainable by those still living in the urban areas,
because of the distance and lack of transportation. In place of supermarkets,
fast food and convenient stores popped up on every street corner, offering the
people affordable, but unhealthy food options. Bottom line, America is the land
of plenty just as I had ascertained. But, the options offered to the people are
deficient of nutrition, and fresh produce was no longer available, explaining
the rise in obesity.
Did you know? 23.5 million Americans don’t have a
supermarket within 1 mile.
But there is a silver lining to this story….
Spring 2008, the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund started the NYC Green Cart
initiative, which helped launch, with the help of Mayor Bloomberg and the NYC
Council, 1,000 new street vending permits. This has enabled entrepreneurs, such
as the five immigrants in the documentary “Apple Pushers”, to sell fresh fruits
and vegetables to those who live in New York urban areas. For more information
about the green cart initiative go to,www.nyc.gov/greencarts.com,
and watch “Apple Pushers” for a better understanding on this topic.
