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
“I’m no kid now and I clearly remember our generation (X) being called the laziest bunch of degenerate, neer-do-wells that ever existed….”
That’s because every one of our parents walked 10 miles uphill both ways barefoot to get to and from school.
Us lazy good for nothings had a school bus!
nsr, you’ve got a point. Calling child services is a knee jerk reaction to every independent. Reminds me of the lunacy in phoenix with the pictures of young kids in the family tub together. I can’t tell you how many my pictures my parents took.
Husky was exactly the word they used.
I preferred being called big boned.
But once I really got active into sports (and started noticing girls), I got in much better shape.
DeLepp, I think a big factor was a good amount of us had mom’s at home that cooked dinners most nights. That’s few and far between these days whether it’s finances or just them choosing to work outside the home. There’s little time to cook meals from scratch.
I have no quantitative data on when kids were more active and they certainly may be more lazy today….but I clearly remember when video games (atari) was thought to be the downfall of society and kids were criticized for spending Sunday morning watching Krofft Super Show, Land of the Lost and Justice League (I think that is what I was watching when the Iranians took our hostages)….
I am not saying kids arent more sedentary overall now (I dont know except anecdotes which are kinda meaningless). But I am inherently skeptical whenever someone says that things were different when they were kids – cause I’m no kid now and I clearly remember our generation (X) being called the laziest bunch of degenerate, neer-do-wells that ever existed….
For 2 summers the organization I worked for did special summer programs with kids from Chinatown. The first summer we had about 30-40 kids, the second we had about 100. I kid you not- every single one of them was a high achiever. Part of their problem was they didn’t know how to let go. Everything was so serious. I had one kid who was a killer artist- untrained- and he really wanted to pursue it but his parents would have had a fit. they were all hardworking, bright and all aiming for good colleges. So RF- I don’t know who you know but I don’t agree with you.
“I feel for kids today because of all the “dangers’ out there and worse their helicopter parents. ”
It’s not really individual parents. It’s the whole attitude in society.
There was an article recently in the Times (can’t find link) about how parents who want to let their kids walk to school by themselves, etc., run into problems with public officials and the parents of other children who think they are being irresponsible.
And then when so few parents are letting their kids be alone outside, it really does make that rare kid who is left alone more vulnerable as it is so unusual for a child to be left unmonitored that they will be a clear target for anyone who is looking for a target.
Sort of like a 26 year old walking down a street talking on her iPhone in Clinton Hill after 11:00 pm…
biff, you were probably a little husky. Today’s husky kid is in relatively great shape compared to the numbers that are now obese. Kids are getting treated for type 2 diabetes these days. Besides exercise what is so different between now and the 70s? Had processed foods then, maybe they didn’t taste so good?
DeLepp, as much as I was playing all day long outside, I was considered a fat kid. When I look back at the few old pics of me that I have, I was actually not even that bad and would probably be considered average size these days! The other kids in all the pictures were like stick people.