Summary: Decolonizing Food Justice

All food should be available to all people. The concept of this is dwelled on in the article, “Food justice and Food retail in Los Angeles” by Mark Valliantos. Throughout the article, Valliantos maintains the notion that healthy food should be within everyone’s reach, yet inner cities are still suffering from shortages of fresh produce. To see this issue in action, Valliantos documented this reoccurring phenomenon in Los Angeles. The author gives a description of two areas within the city of Los Angeles, and how they are economically divided based on the amount of healthy produce one has at its disposal. He makes note of programs that already exist to help low income families receive healthy foods that they could not afford. He also

Food insecurity the state of being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food, "more than 800 million people live every day with hunger or food insecurity as their constant companion" (Definitions of Food Security) . People who suffer from food insecurity often live in low income areas that lack grocery stores, farmer markets, or healthy food at a reasonable price called food deserts. So, the question is how can we address this issue. In order to get a better understanding of my chosen issue, and make others more aware of this matter, I partook in several events on campus. For example, On April

Food, the true driving force behind mankind and all of its glory, has been a focus of the recent decades in America because of its adverse effect on the populace. The reason being is that food has more control over the public than people tend to realize. Food in the United States is taken for granted because of its abundance and as such gets little thought put into it. When the government plasters guidelines on what to eat, people semi-acknowledge it while continuing to buy things that seem delectable to them. Food companies run the show; the government more or less sways its view away from the things that happen behind closed doors. So what does this mean for society as a whole?

The second part of Megan Carney (2015) focused on the various different food assistance programs and solutions for food insecurity. Across the country there are countless of organizations and programs that aim at assisting and improving food insecurity among marginalized communities. The truth of the matter is, that there are structural issues in the government that prevent individuals from making enough to support themselves and their families. It is hard to comprehend how the United States disagrees in recognizing food and its access to food as an inalienable human rights (Carney 2015). No one should be denied access to nutritious food.

“Food is life. It is necessity and pleasure, family and community, culture and power.” Food is what lets us take a break during the day, and most importantly, healthy food gets us ready and energized for the busy day ahead. However, many Americans do not have access to healthy foods. Many low-income communities in the inner cities do not have access to healthy foods. Many of these communities live more than a mile away from a supermarket and transportation is often unavailable. Even when transportation is available, or one lives close to a supermarket, purchasing healthy food and fresh produce can be very expensive. Many people end up buying unhealthy food products from their local corner stores, which can’t afford to stock healthy fruits and vegetables like large grocery stores. Lack of access to healthy food is a race issue. Disproportionate access to healthy foods between whites and African Americans is extremely common. The data shows that African Americans have greater health issues and limited access to healthy food. Obesity rates are 50% higher for

both argue that food issues should be addressed by public policy. To combat hunger, malnutrition, and growth deficiencies in children, Frank argues that public policy relating to food has to be changed. Poor families should be supplemented with federal grants such as WIC vouchers to care for their young ones. Robertson et al. take a slightly different approach in their article “Food is a Political Issue” by not only holding the government accountable for reducing issues associated with food, but also the food producers and suppliers. Who should decrease the health disparities and care for the disadvantaged members of society? Robertson et al. advocate that although health disparities caused by food have to be primarily tackled through government policies, the health disparities are everyone’s problem and have to be addressed by everyone— from government officials, to religious groups, to the farmers and food suppliers

Although there are many problems in my community, the greater Washington DC area, I’ve chosen to address the issue of food security, more importantly a lack of access to nutritional food and food assistance via federally funded programs.

There were neighborhoods throughout Philadelphia where residents couldn’t easily buy healthy foods like fruits and vegetables. And science shows us that people who live in these underserved neighborhoods are more at risk for serious diet-related diseases like obesity(Food Trust website). They began with one farmers market at Tasker Homes, a public housing development in South Philadelphia. Once a week, with the help of the Tasker Homes Tenant Council, they set up one long table overflowing with produce. It happened to be the only source of fresh fruits and vegetables in the community. The Food Trust works with neighborhoods, schools, grocers, farmers and policymakers in Philadelphia and across the country to change how we all think about healthy food and to increase its availability. The Food Trust efforts with its partners resulted in the creation of the Fresh Food Financing Initiative. It was the nations first statewide financing program to increase supermarket development in underserved areas. The Food Trust is a nonprofit organization that continues to ensure that all children who live in communities have access to safe, healthy and affordable food. Their key goal of this project is to stimulate the development of supermarkets in lower-income neighborhoods.

There has been growing concern and dialog regarding food deserts and food accessibility in major areas of Chicago, particularly focused in the South-Side neighborhoods of the city. Although the recent concern is a good thing, we need to look at the historical factors that have shaped these areas to find the root causes that deserve attention in order the come up with pragmatic solutions within the food justice movement. First, we will look at political issues that have shaped areas of Chicago, that are predominantly poor minority immigrant groups and African-American, through racial discrimination, unabated segregation, and areas affected by mass public school closings. Secondly, we will look at the socio-economic issues surrounding communities of non-white residents and how mass incarceration has exacerbated the situation in neighborhoods experiencing disinvestment. Lastly, negative health affects suffered by those groups that are exaggerated by the lack of fresh food availability within a community area will be discussed.

Food insecurity is happening to many countries, very rapidly. Food insecurity is the state of being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious, healthy food. My chosen country is the Central African Republic. The Central African Republic (C.A.R.) is a land surrounded by remote land in Central Africa.

According to the Household Food Security in the US in 2013, some people experience food insecurity. Food insecurity is the access to adequate food is limited by money or other resources. Obesity is one of the top health problem in America and this is due to eating habits. Junk food is what people can afford. While eating junk food people are consuming more calories. According to the article “Fast Food Linked to Child Obesity” by Jaime Holguin about one third of children aged 4 to 19 eat fast food. This will lead to an increase in weight and obesity.

Food Justice is about giving the community the opportunity to exercise the right to grow, sell and eat fresh food that is affordable, nutritious and culturally appropriate. By practicing

The diversity issue I chose to research and observe was the interlinking issues of hunger and poverty and what should be done to alleviate these struggles. I knew beforehand that these issues are globally rampant, but I did not know the extent of their effects in my own community, the Wichita Falls area. Government policies and programs such as welfare and SNAP are in place to help those in poverty provide basic needs for themselves and their families. However, I wanted to learn more about community organizations that are set up to help to provide food for those living in poverty. Whether or not government involvement or private-sector organizations are sufficient enough on their own in this matter and what would be the best possible solution

In the story The Good Food Revolution, Will Allen talks about his struggles as an African American male trying to live out his dream of sustaining a profitable farming career while doing well for the community. What started as a small roadside market is now a national business which helps low-income families gain access to healthy foods and also helps build a better community. Throughout his journey, Allen experienced countless setbacks and was exposed to several issues dealing with race. Access to healthy food is a struggle for the poor, and in particular, African Americans.

A man named Norman Borlaug or more commonly known as the Father of the Green Revolution stated that “the first essential component of social justice is adequate food for all mankind. Food is the moral right of all who are born into this world.” The scarcity of food in low-income and impoverished populations have led to the theory that the relative absence of access to full-service supermarkets and the easier access to fast and convenience foods may be linked to less stellar eating habits and the increase of first world problems such as obesity and other diet-related health issues (USDA, 2009). As a consequence federal, state, and local governments are faced with supporting costly environmental and social justice movements.