Chef Jamie couldn't change Huntingdon

[Irulan]

One of the things that's been pointed out about unhealthy eating in poorer neighborhoods is the lack of access to healthy foods. No mega-marts. It's one thing to say: "you should eat more fresh fruits and vegetables." Sometimes it's a beast to actually find them.

A recurrent fustration in the rebuilding of New Orleans, is that supermarkets have not returned to areas where people have rebuilt their homes. You either drive a ways to where there are supermarkets, or go to local small stores or convience stores - neither of which have much on selection or the same price range when it comes to your normal supermarket. If you don't have a car, then you're pretty stuck.

The access, but also the cost. A pound of broccoli for $1.69 or a "dollar meal" at the local fast food joint? It is way cheaper to feed a family on subsidized crap than it is on real food.

That being said, I love how our farmers market is now taking food stamp cards.

[OakLeaf]

That being said, I love how our farmers market is now taking food stamp cards.

Courtesy of the Farm Bill. A small but very important step. Like I said. On the other hand, the requirement of EBTs was a major hurdle that the markets have had to overcome individually.

Remember that the food stamp program is administered by USDA, not HHS. It's not anything near the scale of direct subsidies for commodity products, but it is a farm subsidy program.

[berkeley]

Huntington, WV is city of 50K. Not the middle of nowhere....

My in-laws are from West Virginia. They have poor eating habits as a cultural/regional thing, not because of lack of access to fresh foods. There's a great supermarket right down the road from their house, but they still choose to cook all their vegetables with either lard or bacon.

And yes, they are car happy. I could not believe it when they DROVE to church, which was literally 4 doors down!