marcus Lopena food deserts

 Food Deserts In Impoverished Areas

    Food is an essential part to human survival. Nutritious foods are even more vital to our survival because the quality of the food we eat also affects our quality of life. If we do not eat we will suffer all sorts of ailments, weakness, and even death. Food, like everything under a capitalist system is a commodity, and this commodification of such a vital source of survival has led to discrepancies in access to healthy and nutritious food. In low income areas we see cases of lack of access to healthy and nutritious foods, as well as the prevalence of liquor stores on most corners. These urban areas where there is a lack of access to affordable or good-quality fresh foods are called food deserts. I have not only seen this issue near where I live but in places all over the LA county, especially where my girlfriend lives and where my friends live. This prevalence affects all the people that live in these areas. In impoverished areas where people are already surviving only paycheck to paycheck it is inconvenient to either drive to another city that has the stores with fresh and nutritious produce and it might not even fit most people's budgets, so the cheaper and unhealthier alternatives may present themselves as more convenient.

The Statistics

    Because of the commodified nature of food, impoverished Americans must make tough decisions. How will me and my family be fed tonight? Will I be able to make rent if I choose to feed my family tonight? Will all my bills be paid if I choose to feed my family tonight? These are questions that no person should ever have to ask themselves, especially in a country that boasts about its "freedom and equality".  According to the Association of American Medical Colleges and the USDA, 54 million people are food insecure and 23.5 million live in food deserts (2021). This is 1 out of every 6 Americans that are either struggling to eat nutritious food or are just struggling to eat in general. Here in LA this problem of food insecurity is very much exacerbated because of the extreme income inequality. According ot the LA County Public Healthy, in 2018 poor families with children were more likely to suffer from food insecurity. This was the case in 2005, relieved in 2011, and reverted back in 2015, and has continued to stay that way ever since then.

How this affects me personally

         The issue of food insecurity does not necessarily affect me personally but it is something I care about and the issue is so bafflingly different when separated by less than a few miles. I live in West Covina but I also live on the border of Baldwin Park and La Puente. In one area of Baldwin Park exists one primary grocery store, that being a Food 4 Less, while this is great to have, there are not many other reliable sources for produce or nutritious food except for a Target, but even then Target is very limited, especially the one in Baldwin Park which has less things than most other Targets I have seen in areas such as Pasadena or Eagle Rock for example. What makes this issue even more glaring is the fact that the main street, Francisquito is littered with nothing but fast food restaurants and liquor stores. On that street alone there is McDonald's, Taco Bell, Wendy's, two 7/11s, Carl's Jr, In-N-Out, and three liquor stores. All of which dwarf the Food 4 Less in comparison. To me this is a travesty and shows how there is a prioritization of profit over the health of the citizens of the city.

How this affects those in the Los Angeles County

Andrea Velasquez

                Andrea is from Cypress Park, a small town in North East LA sandwiched between Lincoln Heights and Glassel Park. She describes her experience with food insecurity and how it affects her. After long days of work it's hard to want to cook because there is only one supermarket in the area because of this it tends to get extremely packed and it makes shopping for food a hassle. Some nights she will opt to not eat because of the lack of time and inconvenience of market locations, or she must opt for cheap, unhealthy options with her town only offering fast food as primary options for food outside of going to the market to buy groceries. 

Julian Galarza

                    Julian is a resident of Covina. He lives in a relatively impoverished area off of Arrow Highway that is a few miles away from San Dimas. In this area is nothing but fast food restaurants and liquor stores, with a stater brothers about 2 miles away, and the only other supermarket being a Trader Joe's in San Dimas. This area is an extreme case because it showcases the discrepancy of access to nutritional foods from neighborhood to neighborhood, almost like a modern day segregation which Julian notes. He notes that he used to live in a neighborhood (he did not wish to disclose) that had many grocery stores and farmer's markets that were accessible but since moving his access to produce and nutritional foods has been diminished and resorts now to eating fast food because of the convenience. He said this has had an affect on his health recently and his wallet surprisingly due to inflation, and the inability  to save by going to the market and being able to cook.

Conclusion

                Food insecurity is one of America's most glaring issues, it affects millions yet it is rarely acknowledged as a real issue amongst citizens and our politicians. Food is the most basic necessity for any person. Whole societies were built around the advent of agriculture, whole ecosystems are dependent on food, and whole civilizations' success are based off the citizens' access to food. When a huge chunk of our population here at home go to sleeo every hungry every night why do we not deem this a failure of our government to do its due diligence for its people? We must do better to not only bring light to food insecurity but to also do our best to eliminate food insecurity as a whole

References

- Pelletier, S. G. (2016, September 27). Tackling food insecurity in communities. AAMC. Retrieved November 9, 2022, from https://www.aamc.org/news-insights/tackling-food-insecurity-communities

-Nutrition and physical activity program. LA County Department of Public Health - Nutrition Access LA. (n.d.). Retrieved November 9, 2022, from http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/nut/nutrition-access.htm