Giving the Poor Easy Access to Healthy Food Doesn’t Mean They’ll Buy It

[brooklynite]

The New York Times:

In 2010, the Morrisania section of the Bronx was what is commonly called a food desert: The low-income neighborhood in New York’s least-healthy county had no nearby grocery store, and few places where its residents could easily buy fresh food.

That’s why it was the target of a city tax incentive program designed to bring healthy food into underserved neighborhoods. In 2011, a 17,000-square-foot supermarket opened, aided by city money that paid some 40 percent of the costs of its construction. The neighborhood welcomed the addition, and perceived access to healthy food improved. But the diets of the neighborhood’s residents did not.

This verdict comes from a study that compared shopping behavior in Morrisania with a neighborhood a mile away with similar demographic characteristics. “There were not a lot of things that really changed,” said Brian Elbel, an author and an associate professor of medicine at New York University. “Consumption didn’t really change. Purchasing didn’t really change.”

...snip...

Another study, published this week as a working paper by the National Bureau of Economic Research, looked across the country and found that no more than a tenth of the variation in the food people bought could be explained by the availability of a nearby grocery store. The education level of the shoppers, for example, was far more predictive. “If you were going to put all Americans in the same retail environment, you’d end up only dealing with 10 percent of this disparity between college-educated and high-school-educated households,” said Jessie Handbury, an assistant professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and an author of the paper.

[Wilms]

1. Perhaps these people are already addicted to processed food.

I did not see mention of this factor in the article.
http://www.medicaldaily.com/your-addiction-processed-foods-how-pizza-sugar-and-chocolate-can-act-just-hard-drugs-322944

[Aerows]

62. I'm not sure about that

But I won't discount it. What I do know is that if you haven't been exposed to a diet of healthy food, don't know how to cook and probably the most important factor - WHAT to cook, it's a spiral.

[cyberswede]

2. Maybe they haven't had the opportunity to learn how to prepare meals from scratch?

Maybe they don't have much time to prepare healthy food after working all day?

Maybe more education is needed - both on the benefits of healthy foods, as well as how to incorporate it into a routine?

[winter is coming]

18. +1. I volunteer at a food pantry that has its own urban garden.

When we have fresh veg, people seem happy to get it... but we usually include an info sheet telling people how to prepare it.

[Aerows]

34. Exactly right

Not everyone had the benefit of people to teach the handling raw foods, and the knowledge to know how to do it safely.

Kudos for your food pantry winter is coming, you are doing it right!

[mrmpa]

68. My 85 year old mother lives with me..........

and we share cooking duty. I go to a food bank once a month. As I unload the bags, we begin preparing meals around what we've received. This past Friday Mom asked me to take out of the freezer 2 packages of ground meat and the package of ground chicken (tialian sweet style). All of these meats were received from the food bank.

From these ingredients we made italian wedding soup with the ground chicken. Chili with one package of ground meat which we added beans, diced canned tomatoes and a can of chili all received from the food bank. The last package of ground meat was used to make stuffed peppers, the peppers were received from the food bank.

It can be done, but it's hard work and you have to have time.

[CTyankee]

90. I thought about this when shopping for groceries to be picked up by my letter carrier in

the national food donation drive last Saturday. I picked up instant individual packets of oatmeal, peanut butter, easy pancake mix, instant brown rice in packets, etc. I thought of being a busy mom trying to get kids ready for school and get ready for work at the same time. I couldn't pick up too many cans due to my back issues but what I did get was fruit packed in water, not syrup and a couple of soups. Being poor is a hard job. Being food insecure is debilitating. I don't lay my own (privileged) style of eating on people who are working hard just to keep their kids fed.

[GreatGazoo]

91. Maybe the answer is to look at what the target group is eating now and work from there.

For example, if they prefer frozen pizza then the easy path may be to offer a healthier version or a kit -- dough, sauce and fresh toppings. Healthier chicken nuggets. Potato chips that are baked or that use a better fat. This kind of thinking seems to get eclipsed by the tunnel vision that is applied by non-profits and government agencies and that focus seems to be almost exclusively how many fruits and vegetables did people eat? Much easier to improve what people already eat than to ask for a total change in lifestyle, skill set, schedule and education.

At a local co-op, half of the sales come from prepared foods -- salad bar, sandwiches, baked goods -- and ready-to-eat items. So it seems that even the very health conscious prefer not to cook.

I don't like the design of the study(ies) -- they seem to have relied on self-reporting:

2172 street-intercept surveys and 363 dietary recalls

People typically leave out purchases that are embarrassing or unfavorable so the "before" data is likely skewed leaving little room for improvement. It may be that more educated people lie better than less educated because they know the expected answers.

There was another way to collect data but they didn't do it -- have people drop their grocery receipt into a box, anonymously. Or ask the stores to share their data. Yet another way: go through the trash and see what people REALLY eat and REALLY feed their children.

IMHO, If NPs and government nannies really want to improve health and choices in these neighborhoods then they need to stop trying to force their vision onto low income people and start listening to, and letting the target families tell them what would work.

[cyberswede]

97. You make good points

Not too keen on your use of "government nannies" though - and it's probably more a lack of understanding (as you describe in your first paragraph) than an attempt to "force their vision" on people.

[GreatGazoo]

100. when non-profits and government agencies dabble in capitalism they bring their perspective with them

Employees of both get paid to sustain the agency or entity they work for. It's all about justifying their budget and getting it expanded next year. Not that different from police departments that have arrest quotas and sustain "crime" to keep their numbers up. That is a very different goal than someone running a supermarket or someone trying to eat healthier.

The net result is often that Non-profits hand out fish while government agencies ban fishing poles. There are many areas of this country where you are forbidden to grow food on your own land. They force you to grow grass and buy or line up for processed food then they get more funding to study why you aren't eating fresh food (!)

[cali]

3. In general, Americans don't cook very much and don't know how

I think that the SNAP program, perhaps in concert with University extension services, could help by providing a program and space in which SNAP recipients could bring their raw ingredients and with guidance, make several meals at one time to freeze. I realize that not all poor people have freezers but a lot do, and even if the making of several meals isn't practical for some, just learning, in a fun relaxed atmosphere, how to cook healthy meals with healthy ingredients, might be a way to make some change.

[Aerows]

43. I agree

We need to bring back life skill studies. They are just as important as Algebra.

[JCMach1]

96. Why isn't cooking and nutrition part of our HS curriculum... oh yeah, too busy taking tests

to fatten the wallets of Republican testing companies...

[karynnj]

103. It was in the 1960s -- but just for girls - the boys had some kind of shop class

Two of my younger sisters, both excellent cooks now, were among the first group of girls who fought this as sexist and appealed to be in the wood (?) shop class. This was in the very early 1970s and they got permission.

[JCMach1]

105. Yeah, they used to call it Home Economics... There seriously needs to be a revival

for everyone...

[Marr]

4. That doesn't really surprise me.

Modern, processed foods are incredibly tasty and convenient. They rarely require any more preparation than a minute in a microwave. A lot of people have horrible diets not because there is no healthy food present, but because they simply prefer the junk. I mean, you don't have to go to a food desert to see that-- just take a walk in any major grocery story and glance in the carts.

I wonder if this could be improved with some sort of education on how much more affordable it is to feed a family with some light cooking.

[Aerows]

6. Things that are inexpensive to cook

take a shade of know-how. I make a MEAN pot of Red Beans and Rice, but red beans have to be prepared properly because they are toxic if uncooked.

Decent cooking classes should be offered in high school, the same way that shop classes used to be taught. They taught life skills. Things that many kids didn't get if they weren't taught by extended family. I had that - I was taught by extended family, direct family, and family friends.

Many kids don't have that knowledge pool, and it is a shame. They need to learn it somewhere.

[DawgHouse]

7. I had NO idea about kidney beans and toxicity.

They are one of my favorites!

[Aerows]

8. You have to soak them

preferably for 8 hours, if dry, then cook them for a minimum of 4 hours. Most folks just buy canned ones, but that is absolutely the case for off the shelf dry beans. You can't just eat kidney beans in the raw, so to speak.

"Raw kidney beans contain relatively high amounts of phytohemagglutinin, and thus are more toxic than most other bean varieties if not pre-soaked and subsequently heated to the boiling point for at least 10 minutes"

From here

[DawgHouse]

9. Oh I immediately went and looked this up online when you mentioned it.

I almost always soak beans overnight before I cook them anyway. I just had no idea and I am a bona fide foodie!

[Aerows]

10. That's an example of

things some are not aware of, but that they should be. I've seen people spouting about eating beans and rice, and I most certainly eat plenty of both just because I like them, but few are aware of how to properly cook them.

Another Link

[haikugal]

49. That's a great link, thanks!

I recently purchased an IPot and love it. It is energy efficient and very versitile. Red beans and rice is a real family favorite. What's your favorite recipe?

Another thing I've noticed is people who don't know how to cook have no clue as to how to handle left overs..meaning using leftovers as part of a new meal the next day. Many people refuse leftovers outright and if their mother was like mine I don't blame them. I was raised by a woman who didn't know how to cook, she didn't have family to teach her. Learning from others who know how to cook delishious meals using common ingredients is so important.

I was one of those kids that had no clue really and had to teach myself which is why I wanted to make sure my son could take care of himself. He's a very good cook!

[Aerows]

52. My secret recipe

for fantastic RB&R is: add celery, and lots of it.

I like my food to scorch my mouth, but other people can't handle it like that. Using celery and onion in the beans allows you to cater to those that can't handle fire, but retains the "soaking up" that celery does so that you can add whatever you like after the fact.

[haikugal]

53. Celery? Interesting, I'll try it. Thx!

[Aerows]

54. You will be regarded as an exceptional chef

by anyone that eats them.

And I just shared my secret for free - I don't even share that with family members!

I just let them tell me how awesome they taste

[haikugal]

56. Well I'm honored!

[Aerows]

59. Oh, an P.S.

My mother HATES to cook, and I learned from my aunt, my grandmother and various family friends. I adore my mother, but she is far better as an accountant. She rocks at that, and can tend to a houseplant, but put her in the kitchen?

I remember just sitting down and bawling my eyes out (I was 7) that we were eating ham again.

Ham for breakfast, ham sandwiches for lunch, oh look ham for dinner, too. My father got a freaking 27lbs. ham. Morning, noon and night.

I absolutely DESPISE ham to this day.

One of the neighbors taught me how to cook pasta, and that lady did me a courtesy that I wish I could repay. Al dente. Not mushy.

I made pasta for every meal I could. Mom was rather thankful . She knows she can't cook - she makes no bones about it. And oh Lord, don't get me started on the concoctions my daddy can cook.

Two words: Vomit Gravy

[haikugal]

64. Oh, lol...

Mom knew she couldn't cook but she could bake! She eventually had some things down pretty well but never very good at it. Dad on the other hand had a real interest and learned to cook some things really well, by that time I was long gone. We were poor working class when I was growing up and I remember leaving the table with plenty of room for more food..lol

My sisters don't remember any of that of course, it's like I grew up in a different family.

Don't tell them they grew up in poor working class family, hell no! We were middle class, well wasn't everybody?

[Aerows]

65. My mother, bless her

is a wonderful woman, but put her next to a stove or an oven and dinner is "ready" when the smoke alarm goes off.

I went to thanksgiving dinner at my sister's house to "help" with making dinner (which means I was cooking it), and she had dusty pots - as in never used.

I'm an anomaly.

[haikugal]

66. Ha! I have similar stories...lol

[Major Nikon]

20. An alternative to soaking them is to give them a 10 minute preliminary boil

I don't like to soak beans and throw out the soaking water because you also throw out a lot of flavor, but doing so will dramatically remove most of the toxins as well as many of the indigestible starches which produce gas.

[Aerows]

21. I can't see how that works

unless you throw in a big bunch of baking soda and that impacts flavor while drawing out the poison.

The gas is not the problem - the toxins are the problem. You are free to use your method, I know mine is one that doesn't make people sick.



I'm fascinated by the number of people that attempt to tell people that have been cooking beans for at least a decade successfully without making people sick, practically to an art form, tell people they are doing it wrong.

I do not advise that method unless there is a shit load of baking soda involved while boiling.

Go for it, though. I hope you eat a pot of them cooked your way.

(Okay, I really don't - I don't ill-wish on others)

[tammywammy]

71. When cooking kidney beans you boil at first for 10 min then slow cook

The boiling after the long or quick soak is what kills the toxin off, not just the soak. So doing the quick method with a teaspoon of baking soda versus the overnight soak is fine is someone wants to do it that way.

[Aerows]

72. Everyone that wants to cook red beans like that

are welcome to do so, just don't gripe at me when you have a stomach ache.

[tammywammy]

73. They won't.

It's a legitimate and fine way to cook red beans. Quick soak or long soak plus a 10 min boil takes care of the toxin.

[Aerows]

74. Uh huh.

I do not endorse this method, I have seen it used and it has very iffy results. But go right ahead and do it that way.

Sane people in this thread: just soak them overnight and don't listen to this. Different batches of beans have different levels of toxin, and baking soda doesn't take the place of soaking them.

I can't believe otherwise rational people are refuting this.

Just soak the damn things over night. Not hard, and you won't have digestive issues.

[tammywammy]

76. Iffy results? Did they properly boil the beans for 10 min before low simmer?

I've cooked red beans for decades. I learned from my mom who started cooking for her family growing up by middle school. I've done both a long and quick soak and never once been sick from red beans.

Look, you have your way you cook them and that's fine. And you can "not endorse" it all you want, but either way is an acceptable method. The quick or long soak plus a 10 min boil will remove the toxin.

[Aerows]

77. Go right ahead

and cook them that way.

No one is stopping you from doing so.

[Telcontar]

11. I recall taking both thise classes

Shop class and home economics, training on how to maintain a checkbook ledger, and other life skills. Required to pass a four hour exam as part of graduation requirements too. We need thise classes back

[jwirr]

14. Absolutely.

[Aerows]

15. We really do

It's all well and good to tell people "eat more economical meals" but if they have no idea how to prepare them, it's useless preaching. I wonder if 90% of the people that preach said things could function with them as their food source. My bet is that they couldn't and/or would poison themselves accidentally.

Balancing a checkbook, how to fix a cabinet or other woodworking that has come loose, what to do if you need to change the locks on a front door (6 bucks, 10 minutes and a trip to Lowe's as opposed to 90 dollars and waiting for a locksmith), how to fix a toilet with a bad float (2 bucks while you are in Lowe's, and three minutes vs. a 90 dollar plumber's visit) - it's astonishing the blank looks you will get from people that are even MY age, much less younger people.

These are life skills.

[Telcontar]

46. What's funny is I've done all those things just recently

Had to switch out door knobs on the kitchen door, the lock was stuck. Replaced the toilet mechanics in the hallway bathroom. Adding trim (quarter round) to the hallway after painting it.

Now, as for the balancing the check book, well I'm a pretty handy plumber.

[Aerows]

51. You aren't alone

I'm a doer of all things - but I despise like being dipped in fire dealing with insurance and the bank.

Not that I have a reason to despise it. Well, other than the fact that it annoys the fuck out of me.

[yeoman6987]

69. That is a good idea but not going to happen

The districts are strapped as it is and with the focus on all graduates going to college, college and college prep classes are the priority. There would have to be a serious shift in thinking mostly by parents to make these changes and I do g see parents wanting these. Classes over other classes. I know you mean addition to but money is scarce.

[niyad]

33. so THAT is why that cretin in WI is trying to prevent people on food stamps from buying bulk beans-

he is concerned for their health (sarcasm icon not needed, I trust!)

[Aerows]

36. You've got to be kidding me

A law maker is attempting to prevent people from buying beans?

Did you mean canned beans, because they already have toxins removed. If bulk dry beans, then you might as well say that drinking water isn't covered.

We don't want to get excited and have poor people taking showers!

[niyad]

37. I wish I were kidding. the jerk's name is robert brooks, and the list of foods he wants to

stop people using food stamps from buying is insane.

you missed that whole issue? will see if I can find one of the threads on it.

[Aerows]

38. The foaming at the mouth idiocy of Republican

policymakers and politicians is so thick I have a hard time keeping up with it.

[niyad]

40. I am just thankful for unlimited minutes on my phone.

[niyad]

39. here is just one of the threads on that cretin.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10026635456

[Aerows]

41. "The poor aren't punished enough!"

Let them eat cake.

[haikugal]

35. Just look in the freezer..

That will tell you a lot about what has changed just in the last 10 years..walk the isles...we've all seen it. The prepared foods are quick and delishious...they're made super flavorful and as you say many have no idea how to cook. Is there even 'home economics' classes in school anymore?

When my son went to college he came home with tales of how people didn't know how to do anything...cook, fix things, laundry etc. it made him popular because he'd started cooking at ten..and had learned how to repair things etc. I began to see that if you don't grow up being taught these things you don't learn...that kind of dependence is perfect for a system that commodifies everything.

[Aerows]

42. Right on the money

A lot of people get cast out into the world not knowing how to balance a checkbook, use a washer and dryer, cook, do minor household repairs and any number of things that are necessary in every day life.

[Gormy Cuss]

5. Neither study apparently controlled for affordability factors.

Fresh, healthful food isn't attractive to low income households if it costs twice as much per meal as processed food.

What both studies do point out is that there is a correlation between education levels and food choices, which suggests that if pricing were neutral that public education on food choices may make a difference.

[Aerows]

16. I honestly believe

that you have to take into account that way too many people have no idea how to cook a quick, nutritional, cheap meal, much less a cheap nutritional meal that takes longer but you can eat leftovers on for a couple of days.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

12. Saw this here in SF --

We had Fresh & Easy go into the Bay View/Hunters Point area -- a classic low income, food desert neighborhood. I live on a VERY tight budget and in the neighborhood next door so I was thrilled and excited to shop there -- I found high quality staples, most that were organics that were very well priced. There was also a huge variety of fresh prepared foods that were also priced well. Their freezer and processed foods sections were very small in comparison, and what TV dinners they had were store brand and free of preservatives and artificial colors/flavors.

I was there the day it opened to the public and spent a few hours walking around and taking things in. I saw person after person walk in, take a brief look around, and then walk right back out. I heard more than a few of those folks say there was nothing there to eat!

The other supermarket that is relatively close to the neighborhood is a FoodCo. That place is always packed. And it is FULL of the worst kind of highly processed, high sugar, meat-heavy foods I have ever seen.

After less then a year the Fresh & Easy was closed because of lack of shoppers.

[Gormy Cuss]

17. But Fresh & Easy also closed in more affluent East Bay areas.

I think Fresh & Easy just wasn't a good format here.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

47. The Bay View/Hunters Point store --

closed several years before the F&E company backed out of the US market; it was a poor performer from the get-go. I really loved F&E and was sorry as heck to see it go. I hadn't eaten that well in years.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

60. Fresh & Easy was doomed from the beginning

It was Tesco parachuting their Tesco Metro stores into the US seemingly blindly and they started in the southwestern US which was the least amicable possible market for the format. That was dumb enough, then they put their small format stores in close proximity to real supermarkets.

If they started in urban areas in the northeast where people are far less mobile they probably would have been successful.

[jwirr]

13. This does not surprise me. Many people have been eating junk food and "poverty" foods for

generations. A lack of fruit and vegetables. The excess use of cheap pastas. There are a lot of foods that the poor eat that are not good for you and they have been eating them for generations. And their children are learning to eat from them. The "ick I don't like that" is the problem of eating with you eyes not your stomach.

And all we need to do is look at Michelle Obama's attempt to introduce healthy food into schools. So much complaining. I have 11 great grandchildren. So much complaining.

And then take a look at my grandson's family. 3 little children. Dad cooks but he seldom uses vegetables and thinks fruits are a snack. He cooks a lot of spicy foods. They get plenty of meats and eggs. Some fruit juice and milk but mostly water. When it is mom's turn to cook - she brings happy meals or pizza hut food and pop. Instead of fruit before bedtime it is more likely candy or popcorn.

Much of this is lack of knowledge about the need for balanced meals and the fast food is just plain laziness. It is also the idea that there was nothing wrong with the way we were living. Just plain resistance to change. I'm okay they will be okay also.

From experience when one has used the unhealthy foods for a lifetime it is not easy to be able to know how to use your money to make the more healthy purchases. It is a common belief to think that it is cheaper to cook the old way. Fruit and vegetables cost more.

[Aerows]

19. Oh, by the way

this is a very tacky post.

Go have a salon with Hillary Clinton and let the rest of us do our best to help everybody that has less than you do (and likely I do). It's not a farce, it's not a contest, it's displaying some damn morals, compassion and ethics.

Just a tacky, tacky post.

[LeftOfWest]

22. You are exactly right Aerows

and nicer than I would be. I have read brooklynite's self proclaimed wealth status on these forums.

Tacky at least.

[brooklynite]

24. No need to be delicate for my sake...

[brooklynite]

23. I see...an article that identifies an unresolved problem in urban society is "tacky"...

I pick out issues that seem to be of interest to the community. I wasn't aware that there was an income requirement.

FWIW, I work closely with FEEDING AMERICA, and help my MIL at the Food Pantry she runs.

[Aerows]

25. It was a tacky post. n/t

[brooklynite]

27. Don't be shy...tell everyone why an analytical piece by the New York Times is tacky...

I can take it.

[Aerows]

28. I don't need the New York Times

to understand that people go hungry in the wealthiest country in the world, most of them children.

Then serve up a helping of self-righteous "They wouldn't eat right anyway" and I reached my threshold.

[brooklynite]

29. Where's the self-righteousness?

The article references two studies that point to evidence that healthful eating hasn't increased, and delves into reasons why.

[Aerows]

31. Uh

A bunch of it. Like stating that people that are poor don't eat right because they have a shitload of resources to just go ahead and eat right, then they could have the same nutrition as wealthy people.

Once again, it's blaming the poor for being poor.

[CreekDog]

70. In many of the OP's posts

[LeftyMom]

50. The NYT LOVES scolding the poor, otherwise David Brooks would have nothing to write.

And yes, scolding the poor for eating unfashionably in a publication that has entire sections dedicated to fawning over entitled nitwits and their bizarre spending and comically absurd social lives is beyond tacky.

[Aerows]

61. It would be mind-numbing

if it was so prevalent.

I'm not going to apologize for stating that poor people have the right to eat just like the rest of us. Guess what? Rich folks make poor dietary choices right along with folks that barely make ends meet.

[Jamastiene]

81. [phone] n/t

[treestar]

92. wtf?

That is very rude.

Your post is the tacky one. You don't like the OP is all you are saying here.

[Skittles]

26. if I am hungry and I have the choice between chili and fruit

I WILL PICK THE ONE THAT MAKES ME FEEL FULL THE LONGEST

[Jamastiene]

79. And fruit is mostly water. n/t

[Skittles]

80. absolutely correct

jeez...I have never known the feeling of not knowing where my next meal is coming from but I know for DAMN SURE if that was the case and I was offered something greasy or some f***ing fruit I would pick the former. It's not THAT hard to figure out if you're not classist idiot!

[Jamastiene]

82. Exactly...

Something like chili will stave off the hunger pains much longer than fruit. Food that fills you up and makes the hunger pains go away for the longest amount of time is what poor people (and homeless people, been there, done that, it was horrible) have to consider.

[sendero]

30. No....

... not if they cannot afford it.

[Aerows]

32. It's so strange

when you confront people that say these sorts of things. Suddenly they know exactly what every person that is poor feels, should do, and how they became poor.

[bullwinkle428]

44. Aerows, when I read things along the lines of what is described in the OP, I'm

reminded of a great quote from Herman Melville on the subject of poverty:

“Of all the preposterous assumptions of humanity over humanity, nothing exceeds most of the criticisms made on the habits of the poor by the well-housed, well- warmed, and well-fed.”

http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/19119-of-all-the-preposterous-assumptions-of-humanity-over-humanity-nothing

[Aerows]

45. My thoughts

exactly

[Psephos]

48. It's not about access, it's about the difficulty of altering the poverty culture.

The emotional pressures involved are immense and usually underestimated.

[Aerows]

63. Excellent point.

There are a lot of factors in the deficit of nutrition in low income families.

[treestar]

94. Good point.

Judging poor people's choices with middle class mindset doesn't work.

[Chellee]

55. There's a time factor.

Raw ingredients take time to wash, prep, and cook. Time that stressed out people, who are maybe working two jobs to make ends meet, don't have.

[Aerows]

67. I think there is also

a bit of a "how do I cook this" and "what can I cook" question that a lot of people have.

If you aren't familiar with how to cook, it can be bewildering.

[greatlaurel]

57. Lack of cooking utensils is another issue.

How do you have the equipment to prepare food from scratch if you are impoverished and where can you even buy kitchen equipment in a lot of neighborhoods? Being impoverished means lots of moving from place to place usually on very short notice. This means that even if you started with a set of pots and pans and bakeware, you may not be able to keep such equipment. Some cheap housing options do not have a proper cook stove.

Being able to buy dish soap and paper towels are difficult to afford, too.

There are a number of reasons for this which are not addressed in the article.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

58. I really think this is a time and living arragements issue

My house in Canada, where I live alone is only a couple hundred feet from a Safeway, a butcher and just a few minutes from a Wal-Mart Super Center (pardon me, Super Centre).

But I really don't buy groceries or cook much of anything, I usually pickup a pizza or a sandwich or Chinese food. Fairly regularly I go out with a pair of women I work with to gawk at hipsters in the bars near our office. That means a hamburger or chicken wings or fish and chips or whatever. None of it healthy. When I get home to a Calgary exurb it is usually getting close to 8:00 and I don't feel like doing much of anything other than calling home, watching TV and going to bed.

But when I am at home in California my parents are there, they live with me in an apartment I built for them, my girlfriend and my brother and his girlfriend are usually around. At home I, or my mother always cook something. There are always atleast three mouths to feed and there is a social aspect to it as well.

If you live alone and just don't have a whole lot of spare time, or you don't live alone but your respective schedules don't lend themselves to communal dining, I can see how this is far more reaching than a poverty issue.

[tammywammy]

75. There's a few reasons that it didn't change

Not knowing how to cook obviously. Plus the time factor to cook from scratch versus convinence of to-go/fast/prepared food items.

I know as a full time worker plus grad student it's been a lot easier to grab a sandwich somewhere instead of squeezing in time to cook during the week. Plus poor planning on my part in general.

And while it didn't change a lot of habits, having the fresh food available is still a good thing. At least people have the option compared to being in a food desert.

[daredtowork]

78. On Monday I didn't accept a bag of fresh vegetables

These vegetables have been offered on Monday mornings for years, and I would love to accept them. They would much improve my diet.

Guess what - I usually have several appointments throughout the day and no car. I can't haul around a bag of vegetables with me all day. I've pointed this logistical problem to the kind people providing the produce, but they counter that they need to offer the veggies while they are fresh.

Anyway, the barriers are usually more complicated than outside observers think.

[get the red out]

83. Tired

I have one job, a desk job, and I get tired of coming home and cooking; and I grew up knowing what a healthy meal is and I love veggies and know how to cook in a healthy way. We are also privileged to be able to afford it.

What about folks with two jobs that still don't make ends meet?

[gollygee]

89. You also need access to

a kitchen that has everything you need to prepare things from scratch, and you can't have too many jobs or a lot of transportation time between job(s) and home. It takes time to cook from scratch. It also can take some condiments/spices that can be expensive. It is much easier and less time consuming to just heat up a can of ready-made chili. You work two jobs and get home late, you just want to eat.

[treestar]

93. Maybe they could put some money into education or cooking classes

People who are poor or uneducated simply don't know they'd be healthier.

Plus it doesn't matter so much, as when you are that poor, the government's goal is that they eat, not so much what they eat. I can hear the conservatives ranting on about yet more government control. Still, the people deserve to know and to eat healthier.

[KittyWampus]

95. We don't come from the womb knowing how to cook lentils. Nor are utensils free.

After reading down this thread, I have to agree w/those pointing out that education is paramount.

Stores going into previously un-served neighborhoods should do cooking classes.

That said, as I made and ate breakfast the realization hit that it's not just being unfamiliar with whole food and how to cook whole food… it's also not having the utensils to prepare whole foods.

Not having a few decent knives and rudimentary cookware & appliances would make cooking next to impossible.

And if you are working poor, the two appliances that would help the most are a small food processor and crock pot.

The small food food processor quickly minces up aromatic veggies w/herbs while the crock can cook while you are at work.

[CTyankee]

99. Honestly, I don't think I could cut up vegetables and meat and sauce and put it in a crock pot first

thing in the morning before work. It would be great if that were possible but some people just don't want to do it. A microwave oven is perfect after a long day at work and you're tired as hell. You can still cook fresh vegetables and cook a simple piece of chicken in a pan.

[KittyWampus]

101. Hence, the small food processor. Removes need for knives and knife-work.

Extremely fast/easy clean up.

[Aerows]

104. A crockpot

is a great thing to have to cook all kinds of things while you are at work. I use mine to make beans.

[kcr]

98. Yes, because poor people are actually people

I live in one of the wealthiest counties in America. Not all that far from you if your handle is accurate. I see plenty of people eating junk all of the time here, because it tastes good. The differences between poor people and wealthier people that create barriers to healthier eating aren't just access, so merely improving access alone won't make a huge difference. I'm amazed that some thought that would magically solve everything.

[karynnj]

102. I wonder if they considered the cost of a family transitioning to making fresh food

When they buy fast food, it is ready to eat. In addition to possibly not knowing how to cook, not having access to even basic kitchen facilities, it means buying many basic items that most of us already have in our home.

A year ago, when a daughter moved to an apartment from a shared house, we gave her a gift of taking her to a grocery store and buying the basic items that she would need to cook her own meals. She is an excellent cook and a vegan. Just getting basic grains, legumes, spices, oils, flours, etc was about $200. I would guess that getting fewer spices, less variety and smaller packages might have reduced this to $50.

As to dishes, pots and pans, and utensils, she had accumulated a decent amount and had many hand me downs giving her what she needed to cook with. Starting at that point, it is cheaper and healthier for her to buy fresh food and cook for herself. Someone who has NOT been cooking would need to get at least some of this equipment.

However, having time, basic pantry goods, a working stove, cooking ability, and tools are all possible stumbling blocks for someone, who has kept a family fed with fast food from taking advantage of the availability of fresh produce.