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Diabetes. Cancer. Heart disease.
These are just a few of the obesity-related diseases that were found to cause earlier deaths on Chicago’s south and west sides, where so-called “food deserts” exist. 
According to Mari Gallagher, author of the report titled “Examining the Impact of Food Deserts on Public Health in Chicago,” there is a food imbalance in effect in some areas of the city. She told 848 that her research team measured the distance to every grocery and every fast food restaurant in every one of the 18,000 blocks in Chicago. They found that on the south and west sides, not only were fast food restaurants abundant, but grocers were few and far between. Although the study does not state a direct cause-and-effect, it did find that the death rate from diabetes is the worst in food deserts, and the rate of obesity seems to increase as the access to grocery stores decreases. In contrast, those areas that had both high concentrations of grocery stores and fast food restaurants had fewer instances of diet-related diseases.
Gallagher’s study is a follow-up to a study in 2005 that found that south side residents have little access to major grocers or retailers but have a plethora of liquor stores and fast food restaurants. She also reported in 2004 that there are 3.4 big grocers per 100,000 residents in white wards, compared with 2.6 in black wards and 2.3 in Latino wards. After the first study was released, LaDonna Redmond, president of the Institute for Community Resource Development in the Austin neighborhood, was quoted as saying, "I can walk out my door and buy a semi-automatic weapon or narcotics, but I can't find organic tomatoes or lettuce anywhere.”
Two years and two studies later, it seems that little has been done to change the situation, and some have called out major retailers such as Jewel, Dominick’s, Cub and Aldi as being racist. Alderman Leslie Hairston from the 5th Ward called the lack of grocers in her area a “smoke screen for racism,” adding that when she has asked major chains to enter her neighborhood and provided a median income, they “come up with another reason” to not build a store.
The Sun-Times published a graphic to help understand the concentrations of food deserts in the city, noting that “food deserts are nearly exclusively African-American.” This is a standpoint similarly held by Redmond, who developed a “micro-farm” in her backyard several years ago after attempting to find organic food in her neighborhood, only one grocery store – period. Once she found the store, she was shocked to see that the produce was ridiculously overpriced, with Boston lettuce costing $3 per pound and heirloom tomatoes costing $4.99 per pound.
So what is the solution to the problem? Gallagher suggested a two-fold plan that involves education and outreach to citizens of food desert neighborhoods, which will teach them proper nutrition habits. In addition, she said the city should provide incentives for grocers, both chain and independent, to enter neighborhoods where they do not have a presence. Obesity researcher Adam Drewnowski, director of the Nutritional Science Program at the University of Washington, told the Trib that the heart of the problem is economic distance to healthy foods. Since fast food is often cheaper than groceries in food deserts, there is often no incentive for residents to purchase their food elsewhere.
So what’s the solution, Chicago? Do we first help to employ the unemployed, raise the minimum wage and make sure health care is available for all? Or do we plant a Whole Foods on 119th St., close a few KFCs, sit back and see what happens? We’re pretty sure that the cure to the problem is some combination of both, but if we knew how to stop obesity all together, Chicagoist would be a lot more famous than we already are. Listen to a webcast of 848’s interview with Mari Gallagher on Tuesday here. Photo via bridgeportseasoning on Flickr.
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Unfortunatly the politics of John Mackey would probably lead to less than stellar store performance on 119th st.
Food 4 Less has a huge market opportunity on the South Side, if Jewel and Dominicks don't want the market, they are going to take it.
I am not sure what this study is attempting to prove. That grocery store chains discriminate? I don't think that's the case. I am sure that stores would be there if they could be ensured that they could make money.
This study is attempting to show that people die earlier of obesity-related diseases in poorer neighborhoods, and that it is potentially caused by the abudance of fast food restaurants and the lack of fresh foods available. And it just so happens that in Chicago, the majority of the people living in these underserved neighborhoods are also African-American. In my opinion, Mari is right when she says the city should provide incentives for retailers to spread into neighborhoods, but it would also require finding some magical way to boost income, reduce crime and provide nutritional education all at the same time.
Sarah, I like your point, but wouldn't offering incentives to a "big box" store fly in the face of the proposed referendum? Would the city be the ones covering the gap between living wage and minimum wage by offering incentives? Or better yet, how about lower taxes so that a person could survive eat healthy, and live well while making $7 an hour.
"Healthy food heh heh heh" says Beavis & Butthead.
I object to the photograph which has nothing at all to do with the issues in the study. It's a real restaurant run by a real neighborhood businessperson who may not appreciate the faux-ironic stance that was apparently your intention.
NSH, I'll take lower taxes please.
And in her 848 interview, Mari brought up that we don't have to be encouraging big box retailers or major chains to open up locations on the south side. We just simply need to be encouraging ANYONE to open up a full-service grocery store, in underserved areas. You could open up NSH Mart if you like. I'd shop there.
Actually, skimble, the photo was tagged for Chicagoist AND South Side and was not used with any ironic intentions on my part at all. I apologize for the misconception.
It's not like 'COLOSSAL FOOD EMPORIUM' is the only model for grocery sales either. Smaller stores can do a lot of things bigger stores can't and if several small stores band together, they can leverage decent prices from distributors as well.
While I was in Brazil, I immediately noticed that in many places, every block had it's own small grocery. Most all were tidy and friendly (They knew my mother in law by name). Some had a pretty impressive selection, including fresh foods, while others focused more on bakery, produce or meat in addition to a selection of delicacies. The main point was that groceries were always nearby and if one store didn't have something, the one across the street probably did. The prices were usually competitive with the big supermarkets, and like I mentioned, the community aspect was refreshing.
In contrast, having lived on the south side, I remember walking into corner "grocery" stores filled top to bottom with nothing but crap. Everything processed, nothing but a sucking nutritional void rife with old products and generally high prices. Moreover, the proprietors often treated customers antagonistically. It was like watching 'Do the Right Thing' unfold before me.
Of course, the whole problem is too multifaceted to throw all the blame on a single party. Still, in poorer areas of the city, it's absurd that the relationship between residents and would-be food providers (Hell, with food itself...) is so deeply dysfunctional.
Sarah: No need to apologize for the photograph. I appreciate the shout out whenever I can get it, and am certain that Gina at Healthy Food would revel in the irony.
Ironic, indeed.
Order blueberry pancakes at Healthy Food (or, as neighborhood folks call it, "Healthy Foods") and the first three questions asked by the waitress are:
"Do you want meat?"
"Do you want cheese?"
"Do you want sour cream?"
If we have food deserts in Chicago, this place is a blooming garden.
Having major grocery stores is not going to give them access to cheap produce.
You may notice the figures saying that Latino areas have the lowest concentration of big grocery stores. If you have driven through the west side at all, this is not surprising. Why would they ever want to shop at Jewel when they could go to Cermak Produce or Carniceria Jimenez or any of the other innumberable grocery stores that carry many more products from hispanic countries and have lower prices to boot.
Ben, you're right. But although chain stores are mentioned in the aftermath of the study, Mari's team merely looked at the distance to ANY grocery store. I think the point is that the stores you mentioned are simply not accessible to enough people in enough neighborhoods, and there seems to be nothing comparable to these large hispanic grocery stores on the south side.