Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) estimates that 17.4 million American households were food insecure in 2014 ( 9).įood security is the physical and economic access to sufficient nutritious foods by all people at all times. Instead, “food apartheid” addresses the root causes of poor food environments and health disparities among predominantly low-income communities of color. Furthermore, this term neither resonates with nor is a part of the identities of the individuals who live within these areas. The term “food desert” is sometimes scrutinized for its misrepresentation of the core issues within these communities.įor instance, the term “desert” suggests a natural, barren landscape and proposes that increasing the number of grocery stores is a quick solution. “Food apartheid,” however, is an emerging term meant to address the root causes of poor access to healthy, nutrient-dense foods by communities of color and low-income white people.įood activists like Karen Washington, Malik Yakini, and Dara Cooper believe that this term more accurately represents the systemic racism and health inequities of a corporate-controlled food system. Food apartheidĪpartheid is an enforced form of racial segregation. Social, economic, and political conditions have been shown to reduce people’s access to healthy foods.Ĭontributing factors include food insecurity, social determinants of health, racial residential segregation, and poor access to transportation among low-income and historically marginalized populations ( 1, 7, 8, 9). Public policy and economic practices that are embedded in systemic racism often play a role.
The causes of food deserts are multifaceted.
0 kommentar(er)
