What 5 Cities Are Doing to Change the Way America Eats
By Jen Kinney
nextcity.org
nextcity.org
America’s food system is making us sick and deepening inequalities: Federal crop subsidies make junk food cheap; poor communities are often stranded in food deserts labor laws allow low wages for farm and food service workers.
To combat these challenges, cities are experimenting with new ways to promote public health and economic opportunity by transforming the way food is grown, distributed and consumed.
This week, the Union of Concerned Scientists highlighted five such programs in five cities around the country. The new report, “Fixing Food,” applauds Oakland, Memphis, Louisville, Baltimore and Minneapolis for their efforts to decrease food insecurity and increase healthy options.
The programs focus on low-income communities and communities of color, which are more likely to suffer from chronic and diet-related diseases, as well as hunger and food insecurity. All five cities have a higher percentage of residents living below the federal poverty line than the national average of 15 percent.
The city approaches were chosen based on creativity, and because “collectively, the five case studies show how local policies and programs can tackle food systems from farm to fork,” according to the report.
Read the full report here
Read the full report here
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