Food Deserts - Where Do We Go From Here?

Food deserts across the country are the results of racist and classist economic and political practices and laws. Through decades of segregation, redlining, racist zoning laws, and economic booms and busts, much of the United State's abandoned post-industrial urban areas are lacking adequate access to healthy foods. McClintock summarizes in the discussion some food justice organizations working toward supplying the people of Oakland, CA with fresh foods, however then goes on to say that in addition to this, policies and zoning laws need to be updated for real change to be made. I understand this viewpoint, however, I think much of the solution to these problems comes in the form of community work and collaboration. We discussed last week the balance of individual community action and large scale policy changes, however I don't think the government in it's current form will be likely to produce any substantial changes to help communities in a timely manner. The system that brought about food deserts will not be the system to bring about their demise. It is up to us as individuals and community members to work in an alternative setting outside the bounds of capitalism that creates a new system of food production and supply.

This article also got me thinking about where I live in Pottstown. While a majority of the population is white, there is a large black population percentage, and almost 20% of the population lives below poverty (above the national average of 12.4% ; https://datausa.io/profile/geo/pottstown-pa/). In town on the main street, there is a Redner's Mini Mart and a small health food store for groceries. The mini Redner's is comparable to a large-sized gas station in terms of selection, most of the store is taken up by processed food, and there is one small refrigerator section with a small selection of produce. The health food store offers some produce (at prices that I would consider rather steep), but still primarily sells processed "healthy" foods. To access the chain grocery stores one would likely need a car or access to the bus. The bus system in Pottstown is rather robust for a small urban area, I think. There are several lines that stop at several grocery stores just outside of town, and most run every hour throughout the day, with the exception of Sundays. Another constraint to the access of these stores, as highlighted by McClintock, is the segregation produced by highways. The majority of the grocery stores surrounding Pottstown are on the other side of Route 100, making walking there challenging and unsafe. I am fortunate that I am physically able to walk to one of these stores (about 25-30 minute walk) to get my groceries, but I know that is not the case for many members in my community. In all, Pottstown certainly is not the worse place to be able to access food, however improvements should be made to increase accessibility in the downtown.