The logic seems simple: the consumption of healthy foods is low and obesity is high in neighborhoods where supermarkets are absent; so, opening supermarkets in those neighborhoods should boost consumption of healthier foods and drive down obesity. But the first American study testing the success of this logic showed limited gains. Six months after the opening of a new supermarket in Philadelphia, the study found, residents of the surrounding low-income neighborhood were not eating more fresh fruits and vegetables, nor were they less likely to be obese than low-income Philadelphians across town whose neighborhood continued to be a food desert. But compared with those living in food deserts, the residents of the newly served neighborhood felt they had greater access to fruits and vegetables and believed the cost of that produce had declined. And the people who said they were shopping at the new store said they were buying more fruits and vegetables.
Source: LA Times, 2/3/14, Food Deserts
No comments:
Post a Comment