Meta: What Works

This week’s launch and query writers are clear supporters of building a healthier food culture. After analyzing the articles the writers challenged the proposed ideas for what’s needed to increase, maintain, promote and create a healthier society. The writers point out that nutrition education is important because too many of us remain unprepared to make the healthiest choices, especially for those living in poverty. But education is not the only issue affecting how we eat.  They realize that eating or obtaining healthy foods can be overwhelming and unrealistic for both low-income and time-stressed families and a result most Americans seek out fast and processed foods, not for the convenience and the taste, but for the price. There is also the realization that plopping down a grocery store does not mean that the rural and urban poor will completely reject processed or fast food and began to focus more on buying fresh meats, vegetables and fruits. That would be more expensive. However, most agreed that the best method for increasing heath and awareness would be through community involvement and the incorporation of local organizations and volunteerism, such as community gardens.

Meta Post – Change can’t happen overnight

After reading this week’s articles along with the launch posts and query responses, I can say that this issue is far more complicated than I thought it was.  As the launch and query posters have made clear, there is no easy solution to the food insecurity problem in America.  Several launch posters including Hashubah, F0rnarnia, and Joycemichelle all argued that simply increasing access to healthy foods will not solve the problem.  As Hashubah pointed out, “…price is more of a problem than access.”  While many posters saw Will Allen’s ideas as part of the solution, there is much more to it than just that.  Hellosunshine, Solebearing, and Joycemichelle all added that education is an important part of the solution.   Hellowsunshine argued that educating Americans about healthy foods should fall under the responsibility of the government.  It seems to be that this class is in agreement with one thing – access is not the only problem.  Even if the poor had equal access to food, a cheeseburger off the dollar menu at McDonald’s is still going to cost less than a bag of tomatoes.  Even if the tomatoes cost about the same, someone would have to know how to cook with tomatoes in order to make a meal with them.  So, while urban farms and people like Will Allen are part of the solution, much more needs to be done to read a food secure America.

Meta: It’s Not Easy To Be Green

There was a lot of great points about this issue made in both the launch and the query posts this week; people seem to have differing yet passionate opinions on the topic of food deserts. One side of the argument agreed with Will Allen. They see government intervention as an effective way of changing how agriculture and food is processed and distributed. Others see, like sproles43 and toastedravioli, see the most effective difference happening on more of a grassroots level. Some other bloggers supported the idea of churches having gardens where people could come and have access to fresh fruit and vegetables. Some went as far as saying that the poor themselves should learn how to grow their own food. However, there were some perhaps more realistic views on the topic such as bellajoelleseiz who wrote that “most people don’t have the time, or don’t want to spend the time on a garden.”
Another major facet of these posts was the focus and importance of education. Hellosunshine and focushoneynut both think that education of what is healthy and what is not. However, as joycemichelle pointed out, eating habits are hard to change. In response to this, daretobepresent suggests conditioning people at an earlier age to enjoy healthier options.
There were some bloggers, f0rnarnia and hasubah, who noted that what it comes down to for many is economics. When one is in a desperate situation with 5 mouths to feed, he is unlikely to buy a fresh box of spinach when he can buy a package of hotdogs (this is just one example that I can up with). People living in poverty have to make hard decisions every single day. What they eat is no exception.

Meta Post: Knowledgeable and Pricey Solutions

The posts this week show each person’s point-of-view about food deserts and how to fix them. Everyone seems to agree that there is an issue with the lower class and unhealthy eating regardless of whether they would classify areas using the term “food desert” or not.  In each post and comment users are voicing their ideas about where the issue of unhealthy foods and the lower class ultimately lies.  Posts are especially focused on how users believe this issue can be fixed.  By far, the most common answer involves education and price.  Everyone seems to be in agreement that part of the reason why the lower class does not buy healthy foods is because it is more expensive and that lowering prices would help a great deal.  However, most do not think that this is enough.  On top of lowering prices, awareness (through education) is being advocated for.  Overall, it seems as if most posts have got almost identical theses: if the lower class is educated about healthy eating, and prices are made affordable for them, then the strong link between lower income and poor dietary health will diminish greatly.

Meta post: Hard to be Healthy

This week’s posts give the general consensus that being healthy isn’t always the easy or affordable thing to do.  All of the bloggers seem to be searching for a solution but cannot agree on one.  Will Allen’s presented solution comes across as slightly flawed in this week’s posts.  Mr. Allen wants to teach people to grow one’s own produce, yet the bloggers seem to be of the opinion that this is not likely to happen.  Dreamsicle123 states correctly, ” Growing one’s own fruits and vegetables is a time consuming and laborious process.”  I would go on to say that my classmates feel that Mr. Allen’s concept is a dream world that is not necessarily realistic.  Daretobepresent talked about how the real problem is with our grocery stores.  The vibe I get this week is that people feel that this is a financial situation.  It is not financially feasible to be healthy either for the consumer or for the producer or seller.  This week’s post left people continuing to search for the right answer yet more aware while searching in a fight to give everyone the healthiest food possible.

Taking Control

I think that the concept that Will Allen has come up with is a really good one.  Although the concept of facilitating the agricultural growth of a community through providing resources and education to it’s citizens is not an unusual concept in poverty-stricken foreign countries, it really hasn’t been used much here in America.  However, Will states that although many poor American’s are not starving to death, they are not able to afford the nutritious food that will keep them healthy: “No, we are not suddenly starving to death; we are slowly but surely malnourishing ourselves to death”.  Healthy foods in America, such as fruits and vegetables, are much more costly than highly processed food.  Allen’s concept is to educate and provide poverty-stricken Americans with the tools they need to grow their own healthy foods.  It is true that not all poor Americans will get on board with this idea.  Growing one’s own fruits and vegetables is a time consuming and laborious process.  However, Will is giving those who do want to live healthier lifestyles the chance to do so.  I think that Will’s concept is great because it allows many people living in poverty to take control of their own health, instead of having no other choice but to consume unhealthy foods. 

Food Desert

While Allan made a good point I was mostly interested in the point Sarah Kliff’s article made. Sure you put a grocery store inside of a low-income neighborhood but does it really change the eating habits of the neighborhood? Personally I wouldn’t go so far as to say that food deserts do not exist at all but I do think that just because there is a grocery store in a low-income neighborhood does not mean everyone will suddenly change their eating habits or be able to offer the healthy options they might offer. Notice the word “might” because while the store will sell healthier options (that unfortunately are usually higher in price) if there isn’t enough demand or stock stays on the shelf for long periods of time then a store will end up eliminating options that have no demand behind them in order to cut costs and save money. This means that even if they start out with a lot of healthier options eventually the store will just sell what they know they can make a profit on. So how do we change what people prefer? Quite honestly we can’t and there’s no way to force someone to eat healthier, in the end it is their body and their life. Which means I think to solve the problem of malnourishment Allan mentions it’s going to take a lot more than putting a few grocery stores in some low-income areas. It’s going to take a mixture of education, lowering prices, and time.

A Flawed Plan

In his Manifesto, Will Allen provides his insight on the growing issue of food deserts. He feels that in the past couple of years the urgency for this issue is only growing more. Even though some may see food in the grocery store aisles, this is not the case for all resident of the United States. In some areas access to a grocery store is unavailable. Our agricultural system is being compromised because it is becoming more and more industrialized. This forces an increase in processed food due to its ease and low cost. This issue is in need of immediate action.
For the most part, I agree with the claim of Allen that this is a growing problem, but I do not agree with this proposal for change. He is very contradictory in his claims of government spending. Will often says that the programs and research we are currently conducting is “money well spent” but still should be used elsewhere. It is hard to agree with claims like this because he is prioritizing his cause but making no claim on how it will improve. Wills primarily speaks of educating and making the nation know that the food deserts exist, but awareness alone cannot win the battle. We must take actions on increasing markets across the nation. But even so, there is no proof that this will eliminate the food desert. Just because some one has the ability to go to a market, does not mean they will utilize it and its benefits. If one is set in his or her ways, it will be hard to break the habit.
Additionally, Wills brings up race in his debate. He says as an African American farmer, he is calling the first African American president to make a change. I do not believe that race has any part in this issue. By including this small claim, I think Wills loses credibility because he may have a counter agenda to make a name for himself.

Call to Action: The Food Deserts of America

In his article “Good Food Manifesto,” Will Allen calls upon President Obama and Congress to look at their spending, and reallocate funds to research ways to prevent diseases rather than finding ways to cure them. One way to prevent diseases such as diabetes and obesity is by educating the public. In the article by Sarah Kliff, the argument that food deserts don’t even matter is brought up. She writes about how a food desert is defined, and how the person in the grocery store buying food is responsible for buying healthy food. Yes, the supermarket sells junk food, but they do also sell some nutritious options as well. Finally, the article by Rebecca Messner gives the reader a look at how one food desert is dealing with the lack of good food. A local church is growing their own food, spinach, kale, lettuce, etc. to give out to the community affected by the desert. The residents are happy with the option to have fresh grown and chemical free food that is supplied by a local organization. This is shown by how fast the food is given out at harvest time.

Manifesto Destiny For All?

“No we are not suddenly starving to death but we are slowly and surely malnourishing ourselves to death.” Will Powers believes that although America may not be experiencing third world poverty and starvation, the lack of access to naturally grown, sustainably harvested food has lead to increased health issues and as a result higher health care and social costs. Power’s business looked at the Recovery Act and started brainstorming how to reward sustainable food sources and promote green jobs. He tries to relate to President Obama by asking him, the first African American president to acknowledge his work as an African American farmer and to realize that government programming like food stamps is not going to solve the problem, but instead a fervent demand by legislators for food sources to go back to the good soil in which America’s first farms were based.  The articles would critique Powers  by asking, “are we malnourishing ourselves or are we still choyosing, despite exposure to produce, to choose the easier junk food alternative?” Growing power also has many established programs that aim to promote and encourage young generations to invest in the food issue and offers internships to those interested in green growth. Just because we throw these programs out there does that mean that people will come running? The concept of a food desert still struggles to gain academic clout but appears evident in many recent studies.  Will Green Powers be able to attract the given attention necessary to recruit youth that will continue the sustainable fight in future when many of these youth have no concept of soil based production? Just because a call to action is initiated doesn’t mean a response will come.  Green Powers is fighting an uphill battle against federal policies that all too easily succumb to the cheapest prices. It may but unjust that grocery stores have grape fruits that need to be saran wrapped, but until the demand by the general public for food rights, our life, liberty and pursuit of happiness continue to be in jeopardy because of programs that put a band aid on the issue.