The City Spurs Grocery Stores to Underserved
The Bloomberg administration, which has already cut down on trans fats and distributed fruit vendors to produce-anemic neighborhoods, is now seeking to provide incentives for grocery stores to open in areas where most families spend their food budget at bodegas and drug stores. The City Planning Commission unanimously approved the proposal on Wednesday, reports The…
The Bloomberg administration, which has already cut down on trans fats and distributed fruit vendors to produce-anemic neighborhoods, is now seeking to provide incentives for grocery stores to open in areas where most families spend their food budget at bodegas and drug stores. The City Planning Commission unanimously approved the proposal on Wednesday, reports The New York Times, which would grant zoning and tax incentives to grocery stores, with set requirements about how much produce and other foods they sell. The city is eying northern Manhattan, central Brooklyn, the South Bronx, and downtown Jamaica in Queens. Many city officials, food experts, and grocery store executives approve of the plan, meant to spur economic growth in addition to encouraging health (and fighting the rising rates of obesity and diabetes), but the Times mentions a recent report to Congress by the Department of Agriculture that shows an uncertain correlation between obesity and access to healthy, fresh foods. Avi Kaner, a supermarket operator, said education is the main solution. If you force distribution of product to a population that’s not interested in it, or not educated in it, and the grocery stores can’t make a profit, he told the Times, they’ll eventually leave. Check out the Times article for more details about the program, similar programs across the country, and a finer breakdown of the pros and cons.
A Plan to Add Supermarkets to Poor Areas [NY Times]
FRESH Food Store Program Overview [DOCP]
NYC’s Neighborhood Grocery Store and Supermarket Shortage [DOCP]
Photo by Royce Bair
basically all i ever remember of the home ec classes taught in my high school were them making were brownies and cookies. seriously.
*rob*
Do they still teach cookery / home economics in schools & colleges? I know I could use a refresher course if I were to go back to preparing my own meals with fresh ingredients. I know there is no reason to assume that cookery skills are any better or worse in low income neighborhoods vs high income ones, just think that kitchen klutzes like me need a little help.
Everyone has good points here. Interesting point on banning junk food from food cards Rob, but I think it may be hard to administer and only affect a section of the population. Also ‘magnanimous’ means generous or noble (literally ‘having a large spirit’), not big per se.
expect lots of these I care about poor folks from Bloomberg press corp in next month. More about image than real impact.
Not that city can do that much….economics of supermarkets are tough. Low profit margin and all.
But some zoning does make it more difficult to open supermarkets but small grocery/bodega owners are not going to be too happy about this. Chinatown seems to sell lots of fresh vegetables and fruit without large supermarkets.
Something could be done to encourage these in other areas (but I don’t know what).
yep. totally jester. i know when im down to my last 5 dollars the last thing im going to be buying is fresh fruit and veggies. tho i was pretty busted recently and bought 4 bags of frozen veggies for like a buck each at associated 🙂
granted after eating a bag i was far from full or sated.
*rob*
When I used to work in Canarsie, the local Key Food had a good produce section, and there was a Caribbean grocery nearby that also had produce.
However, there is another dimension to this issue. Ff you have $5 to spend for dinner, it is more filling to buy french fried and chicken nuggets or lo mein from a chinese place then to buy a bag of apples and something else. It is also more convenient.
rob – the guy in the article posted above pretty much implied it “If you force distribution of product to a population that’s not interested in it, or not educated in it, and the grocery stores can’t make a profit,†he told the Times, “they’ll eventually leave.â€
I thought they were promoting the expansion of street vendors with carts for veggies & fruits?? We could use one in Fulton Park where I get off the subway.
cgups, no one is against it here, please dont try to bring that up.
*rob*
not sure how anyone could be against this. it’s not like they’re trying to put some kind of upscale $20 fancy Whole Foods green beans shop in. every neighborhood deserves access to a decent, clean, well-stocked grovery store with fresh fruit, veg and other food.