Latoya Peterson on fresh food and convenience:
“Fresh, farm-made jams and sauces,” trumpets a small, hand-lettered sign hanging over a veritable cornucopia of ruby-red salsas, assorted dips, and strawberry preserves. It is the beginning of farmers market season in Washington, D.C., where modest stalls bearing fruits, vegetables, and pastries seem to sprout overnight and take root in small corners of the city. They always attract crowds, most often young, urban professionals. The open-air markets have become a familiar part of the summer landscape, but the shoppers most often browsing the stalls reflect just a tiny, wealthy segment of the city. Why isn’t everyone shopping here?
In 2005, researchers posed a simple question to low-income families using food stamps: What kept them from fully utilizing farmers markets? The response came back loud and clear: awareness, price, and convenience. Farmers markets have been touted as the next great hope in stemming the obesity epidemic by providing fresh fruits and vegetables to those neighborhoods that are underserved by grocery stores but often full of fast food restaurants. However, with all the pushes to make farmers markets more accessible — like allowing food stamps and partnering with Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) programs — the core issue has still not been addressed: Healthy foods need to be convenient and accessible as well as affordable.
