Food Desert vs Food apartheid in the SOUTH BRONX
FOOD/HEALTH/ MIGRATION
George, one of the member at the senior center, explained that he has noticed that the quality of the produce around the neighborhood is mediocre. "You see, the senior center in the lower east gives fresh vegetables and meat to the seniors. The food comes in the same day they serve it. But here, the food is frozen and then cooked for us."
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When we began conducting our research at the senior center, we went in with the erroneous idea that Mott Haven was a food desert thus the surprising levels of chronic diseases amongst the individuals residing in this area. After conversing with the seniors, however, we soon realized that the label “food desert” did not accurately describe the circumstances in the neighborhood. Many of the seniors asserted that they had a variety of local markets where they could go and buy plenty of food – the term “food desert” was foreign to them. As the trust and comfortability among us and the seniors increased, we began to notice that what they were experiencing on a daily basis was certainly not a food desert, but a food apartheid as described by political activist and community organizer Karen Washington. She uses this term to describe disparities in health outcomes and food access in different communities of NYC by explaining that food apartheid “looks at the whole food system, along with race, geography, faith, and economics. You say ‘food apartheid’ and you get to the root cause of the problems around the food system. It brings in hunger and poverty. It brings us to the more important question: What are some of the social inequalities that you see, and what are you doing to erase some of the injustices?” (Brones, 2018).
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HEALTH OUTCOMES IN MOTT HAVEN
We are able to see the devastating effects that food apartheid has on the lives of individuals residing in the Mott Haven area. This data released by the NYCDOH in 2018 reveals how adults living in Mott Haven have been diagnosed with chronic diseases (i.e., obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure) at a higher rate than individuals living in any other neighborhood in the city.
At the senior center, we conducted interviews with 25 seniors and most of them had at least one of these diseases, with the exception of two of them who expressed they had none.
It is of utmost importance, therefore, that new policies are created and implemented that would provide equal access of foods throughout NYC.
At the senior center, we conducted interviews with 25 seniors and most of them had at least one of these diseases, with the exception of two of them who expressed they had none.
It is of utmost importance, therefore, that new policies are created and implemented that would provide equal access of foods throughout NYC.