Student RP Sample D_Food Justice

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Williams, Christopher

Student Sample D: Food Justice May 6, 2016

Roland, 3​rd​ Period Research Paper Food in America Food is one of the essential items all creatures require to survive and thrive. Whether it is breakfast, lunch, or supper, what you eat affects the way your body grows and operates. The foods we eat strengthen our bodies and give us the nutrients we need to do our daily routines such as: working, playing sports, hanging out, etc. So, what if, what you’re eating isn’t nutritious or beneficial to your body at all? What if the food you were eating on a daily basis was actually the very thing that was causing you harm? “Food is essential to life. Failure to distribute it justly causes hunger, sickness, and misery” (Lash). And, unfortunately, minorities and low­income areas are faced with this reality every day due to unjust distribution, which ultimately leads to sickness such as: diabetes, obesity, and stroke.

The availability and price of foods in America are precisely dependent upon what city you live in and the income of your community. This causes a significant segregation in the allocation of foods in America, which is a factor that halts the chances of improvement in low­income communities. In low­income areas, there are grocery stores that have “Great Food, Great Prices”, such as Save­a­Lot and Super­Lo. While there are stores like Whole Foods and Sprouts in higher­income areas.​“The fact is, I can’t get an organic apple for 10 miles,” said Ron

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Finley, known as the “gangsta gardener,” who lives in South Central, Los Angeles. “Why is it like that? Why don’t certain companies do business in these so­called communities? ‘Oh there’s no money,’ they say—there’s money. If there’s no money then why are there drugstores here?

Why are the dialysis centers here? Why are there fast food restaurants? What there is, is disregard for these places”(Wartman). ​ Although it could be argued that the reason there is not a Sprouts in low­income areas is because they wouldn’t be able to afford it. “Why are these products that they are selling so much more expensive?” could be made as an argument as well.

“Is there a tradeoff: We can have food that is affordable, or food that is healthy for people and the planet, not both?” The answer to this question could identify the lack of federal intervention,which there already is a lack of (Lash). The unjust distribution of foods into low­income areas brings more than just segregation, it also brings medical issues.

The influx of highly processed foods in low­income areas brings about more negative effects than positive. On the surface, these foods are easy to produce and are affordable but are also filled with loads of chemicals, such as: Artificial Sweeteners, Trans Fats, Monosodium Glutamate (MSG), High­Fructose Corn Syrup, Preservatives. “Indeed, the reliance on a highly processed supply is causing disease, suffering, and eventual death death, especially to those in the poorest of neighborhoods” (Wartman). Trans Fat increases cholesterol, which a leading cause of heart disease and diabetes. Artificial Sweeteners cause fluctuations in the chemicals in the pancreas, which changes the way the hormone insulin is produced; increasing the risks of diabetes. “MSG overexcites cells to the point of damage or death. This causes brain damage that could lead to learning disabilities, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s” (Mercola). These chemicals

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are consumed by citizens of low­income communities on a daily­basis, but who is this all directly affecting?

In the whole scheme of things, African Americans are the most affected by this food injustice. “ The rates of diet­related disease break down dramatically along racial lines. African Americans get sick at younger ages, have more severe illnesses, and die sooner than White Americans” (Wartman). These low­income areas that are affected, are predominantly Black.

“Only eight percent of Black Americans live in a community with one or more grocery stores, compared to 31 percent of White Americans”, these numbers can be seen in the statistics of disease in Blacks,”The Johns Hopkins Center for a Liveable Future found that one in four Baltimore residents live in an under­resourced area or ‘food desert” (Wartman). Even in the case of food and its distribution race is a factor, and wherever race is a factor discrimination is right there with it. But it’s almost as if food distribution is a business strategy; like they’re playing a game of Monopoly. Food has just become another way for America to separate Blacks and Whites. “.... it is increasingly clear that we live in a two­tiered food system in which the wealthy tend to eat well and are rewarded with better health, while the poor tend to eat low­quality diets causing their health to suffer” (Wartman). What can be done to end this slippery slope our own country has put us on is the real question that be get answered here.

This unjust distribution of the most necessary component to human existence has placed many individuals in harsh and harmful situations. Many have tried to go out and find these healthier grocery stores and purchase foods but it was too expensive to keep up. Others have tried a more community focused approach in making farmer’s markets for people to buy fresh

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foods at truly affordable prices. Farmer’s markets are not an uncommon thing in America, as a matter of fact, “More than 8000 farmer’s markets are registered in the USA Farmer’s Market Directory” (Lash). They have been the first and best solution to the lack of fresh foods available in these low­income areas. “​The number of farmers markets and direct marketing farmers authorized to accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payments increased over five years by 360 percent, with 3,214 authorized in 2012 to accept SNAP. The USDA Food and Nutrition Service estimated that in 2011 more than $38 million was spent at farmers markets through SNAP and Women, Infant and Children (WIC) Farmers Market Nutrition vouchers”, these markets are growing in the communities that need them the most. They’re also able to accept the ways of purchasing certain foods that are given to these communities. Although there is more injustice to be fought, in terms of food, a small solution has been found for this big problem. “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change things, build another model that makes the existing model obsolete.” ­ Oran B. Hesterman

Works Cited

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Lash, Jonathan. ​Healthy Food for All.​ The Huffington Post. The Huffington Post.16 June 2015.

Web. 26 April 2016 Mercola, Joseph. ​MSG: Is This Silent Killer Lurking in Your Kitchen Cabinets. ​21 April 2009.

Web. 9 May 2016 Wartman, Kristin. ​Why Food Belongs In our Discussions of Race. ​The Huffington Post. The Huffington Post. 8 September 2015. Web. 26 April 2016