Oh, you said "deserts"? Never mind.
Posted on 07/20/2011 1:52:48 PM PDT by Sub-Driver
First lady takes on ‘food deserts’
Posted by: CNN White House Producer Alexander Mooney
Michelle Obama unveiled the latest push in her healthy-eating campaign Wednesday, announcing several national and regional food retailers have pledged to expand into a string of low-income markets where finding nutritious food options is nearly impossible.
“If a parent wants to pack a piece of fruit in a child’s lunch, if a parent wants to add some lettuce to a salad at dinner, they shouldn’t have to take three city busses…to go to another community to make that possible,” the first lady said at during a White House event marking the new effort.
National chains participating in the partnership include Wal-Mart, Walgreens and SuperValu, which have agreed to open or expand more than 1,000 locations as part of the effort to eliminate what the Department of Agriculture calls “food deserts” throughout the country.
A handful of regional retailers are also involved, including Calhoun foods, an Alabama-based chain that currently serves low-income communities with six stores. The minority-owned company, which in the depths of the recession two years ago was forced to cut back workers’ hours to avoid layoffs, said they plan to open 10 additional stores in the coming years in currently under-served communities. CEO Greg Calhoun as well as Jimmie Coleman, a manger at the chain, were on hand for the event.
The White House says the collective effort will result in serving nearly 10 million Americans who currently have little affordable food alternatives to convenience stores and fast food chains.
(Excerpt) Read more at whitehouse.blogs.cnn.com ...
When will our national nightmare (the Obamas) end?
People's eating habits aren't going to change simply because Wal-Mart offers low cost healthy items.
If the residents of the "low-income markets" didn't rob food retailers blind, there would already be food retailers there.
As a matter of fact, they used to be in those areas before the Section 8 crowd took over.
Why doesn't the First Wookie have the residents of her "food deserts" pledge to not rob the food retailers blind?
Or would that be racist?
There may not be any food deserts. The July 7 issue of The Economist had an article about the so called food deserts, and notes that “the definition of a food desert is any census area where at least 20% of inhabitants are below the poverty line and 33% live more than a mile from a supermarket.” That is, the USDA only looks at supermarkets. It ignores roadside stands, superstores, health food stores, etc. It seems the whole notion of food deserts may be bogus.
Oh, you said "deserts"? Never mind.
They’ll have to build them like the old Automats! Your head of lettuce will be behind an unbreakable windowed door. You’ll have to put your money in a slot to open the little door and get you Arugala!
For some reason I always hear the intro to Wide World of Sports when I see this one...
"...Spanning the globe to bring you the constant variety..."
“proposing $330 million from the budget next year...”
——that’s funny-—I don’t think they’ve ever paid anyone
off to “see it their way”.......have they.....?
Most likely they will be subsidized or given tax incentives to open up in these locations
Many of our local "deserts" are either in affluent suburban neighborhoods with posh supermarkets just out of easy walking distance (or maybe the criteria is No Sidewalks) or in rural areas miles from anything.
Many, many folks in these rural areas have EXCELLENT gardens providing food that meets the 'Locavore' (local food movement) mantra.
Go to the website and click on several pink areas with which you are familiar. Tell me, do they look like 'deserts' to you?
Some of our local "deserts' contain nice restaurants/delis/grocery stores which I frequently visit for dessert.
This from a woman who pigs out on milk shakes and double cheeseburgers..liberals..such hypocrites
The CNN link no longer exists. Did they really misspell desert?
Because they can’t use their EBT cards and food stamps to buy liquor, cigarettes and lottery tickets there. That’s why....vegtables? We don’t need no vegtables!
I have a solution for “food deserts”.
If you want stores to stay open in your neighborhood,
teach your progeny NOT TO STEAL.
In other words, clean up your culture, and the stores will come.
Take three buses!!!! holy eat your peas.. where I came from and in many many areas of the country, the nearest market can be at least an hrs drive away...and there are no buses to be found.. with their union drivers
Or letting Walmart build a big box store there that includes a low price grocery section in those “food deserts”.
There was a time in this country when parents were responsible for feeding their children. A typical lunch was inexpensive and consisted of a sandwich, a piece of fruit like an apple, and maybe a cookie and/or yogurt. Are there any food retailers that do not carry fresh fruit, peanut butter, and cookies or yogurt?
The first lady appears to be a "do as I say, not as I do" kind of person.
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