Rough Draft
Lacking Necessity: The Causes and Effects of Food Deserts
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, 23.5 million people live in food deserts and more than half of them are low-income and live more than 10 miles from an ordinary supermarket. A food desert is a geographic region where affordable and healthy groceries such as fruits and vegetables are highly limited or even nonexistent (USDA). In these food deserts, as previously stated from USDA, more than half of the people living in these food deserts are low-come, and as a result, they cannot move out of these unlivable circumstances but are forced to live and raise a family through it. According to USDA, African American and Hispanic communities have half the amount of grocery stores as white communities do and this racial segregation amongst cities causes the development food deserts. Consequently, it affects these low-income Americans personally, economically and medically. There majority of these suffering citizens are in low-income families and they lack fresh produce to allow their children to maximize their potentials academically and personally. Also, because they are low-income families, when the body breaks down – which is inevitable with only junk and highly processed food available – they are not able to pay for the medical bills, which results in the taxpayers of that state to pay for it. According to Monifa Thomas, a staff reporter for Chicago Sun Times, more than 88,000 Illinois residents received health insurance in 2013 from the Affordable Care Act. Evidently, the Chicago residents do not have the luxury of health insurance and without the help of the government, suffering is inevitably especially with the conditions of food deserts. Not only that but food deserts are also directly linked to health problems such as obesity, diabetes and other chronic illnesses because, according to the Food Empowerment Project, about 1 million Chicago residents lack fresh produce but are highly exposed to fast food. The problem of the prevalence of food deserts in Chicago is caused by the failure of not only the state but also the national government’s purposeful actions to stop the resegregation caused by the white flight and attention to increase the amount of fresh produce. As a result, not only the effected but also the surrounding citizens fall short of their potentials, are economically burdened, and suffer from the increase in healthcare costs from various diseases rooted from food deserts. Ultimately, food deserts worsen the city’s already critical conditions of high crime and unemployment rate, and the plethora of problems that follow it.
The main cause of food deserts is a national phenomenon called the White Flight, which eventually led to racial resegregation, and the fact that the state and national government both did not give enough attention to this phenomenon. The White Flight is a term coined in the U.S. for the sudden dispersion of white population into the suburbs. As a result, racially desegregated Chicago neighborhoods became nearly 100% black neighborhoods (McClelland). For example, according to Edward McClelland in NBC Chicago, Englewood is 98.5% black and 0.6% white. These shocking numbers verify the existence of White Flight and the resegregation that resulted from it. As the consumers left for the suburbs, the industries inevitably followed. This left mostly the black population to face the consequences of skyrocketed unemployment rate and the beginning of food deserts.
In addition, the American citizens’ ignorance delayed the efforts to stop or at least slow down the growth and effects of food deserts. Alec Torres, a William F. Buckley Fellow at the National Review Institute, asserts that it was not until a year ago in 2012 when the national government took action the devastating effects of food deserts (Torres). In 2012, Michelle Obama, the First Lady of the United States, initiated a government-run food desert elimination campaign called Let’s Move, which seeks to eliminate all food deserts in America by 2017, and in turn, significantly decrease the obesity rate in the most obese country in the world (Obama, letsmove.gov). However, according to KevinMD, a website managed by working physicians, food deserts have not been recognized as a serious issue until 2013, which greatly hindered the progress of the food desert elimination campaign. Even for Birju Rao, a physician residing in Chicago, “the word ‘food desert’ was just another jargon term to be memorized and regurgitated on an exam” (Rao). His honest comment reveals that even physicians, who are experts in health, did not realize the devastating problems stirring under the deceivingly innocent word, “food desert”.
Historically, the food desert epidemic began as early as 1960’s when home gardens provided over 40% of the fresh produce such as fruits and vegetables consumed nationally (whyhunger.org). As industrialization began, mechanization replaced physical labor of farming, and as a result, the 20 million Victory Gardens from World War II were quickly overtaken by factories, which ultimately destroyed these citizens’ means of provision. This historical cause was catalyzed and worsened by the White Flight which left Chicago predominantly black and low-income. Since these citizens lacked the money, they could not spend money on healthy but expensive food choices and consequently, local food stores went out of business, which explains the patches of food deserts especially in low-income neighborhoods (whyhunger.org). The causes of food desert epidemic eventually leads to the devastating effects that inevitably follow it.
Due to the lack of healthy and fresh food, the families living in food deserts lack the basic necessary nutrients to fully enable their bodies. The average human should intake at least 4 cups of fruits and vegetables every day (Fry). However, suffering families, especially the low-income, cannot afford personal vehicles to commute back and forth to the grocery store, which in itself have expensive food choices. According to (the video we watched in class about food deserts…will find link/info later), families cannot perform academically as well as they know they could due to hunger and non-fully functional bodies. Therefore, workers are few but healthy workers are even fewer.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, 23.5 million people live in food deserts and more than half of them are low-income and live more than 10 miles from an ordinary supermarket. A food desert is a geographic region where affordable and healthy groceries such as fruits and vegetables are highly limited or even nonexistent (USDA). In these food deserts, as previously stated from USDA, more than half of the people living in these food deserts are low-come, and as a result, they cannot move out of these unlivable circumstances but are forced to live and raise a family through it. According to USDA, African American and Hispanic communities have half the amount of grocery stores as white communities do and this racial segregation amongst cities causes the development food deserts. Consequently, it affects these low-income Americans personally, economically and medically. There majority of these suffering citizens are in low-income families and they lack fresh produce to allow their children to maximize their potentials academically and personally. Also, because they are low-income families, when the body breaks down – which is inevitable with only junk and highly processed food available – they are not able to pay for the medical bills, which results in the taxpayers of that state to pay for it. According to Monifa Thomas, a staff reporter for Chicago Sun Times, more than 88,000 Illinois residents received health insurance in 2013 from the Affordable Care Act. Evidently, the Chicago residents do not have the luxury of health insurance and without the help of the government, suffering is inevitably especially with the conditions of food deserts. Not only that but food deserts are also directly linked to health problems such as obesity, diabetes and other chronic illnesses because, according to the Food Empowerment Project, about 1 million Chicago residents lack fresh produce but are highly exposed to fast food. The problem of the prevalence of food deserts in Chicago is caused by the failure of not only the state but also the national government’s purposeful actions to stop the resegregation caused by the white flight and attention to increase the amount of fresh produce. As a result, not only the effected but also the surrounding citizens fall short of their potentials, are economically burdened, and suffer from the increase in healthcare costs from various diseases rooted from food deserts. Ultimately, food deserts worsen the city’s already critical conditions of high crime and unemployment rate, and the plethora of problems that follow it.
The main cause of food deserts is a national phenomenon called the White Flight, which eventually led to racial resegregation, and the fact that the state and national government both did not give enough attention to this phenomenon. The White Flight is a term coined in the U.S. for the sudden dispersion of white population into the suburbs. As a result, racially desegregated Chicago neighborhoods became nearly 100% black neighborhoods (McClelland). For example, according to Edward McClelland in NBC Chicago, Englewood is 98.5% black and 0.6% white. These shocking numbers verify the existence of White Flight and the resegregation that resulted from it. As the consumers left for the suburbs, the industries inevitably followed. This left mostly the black population to face the consequences of skyrocketed unemployment rate and the beginning of food deserts.
In addition, the American citizens’ ignorance delayed the efforts to stop or at least slow down the growth and effects of food deserts. Alec Torres, a William F. Buckley Fellow at the National Review Institute, asserts that it was not until a year ago in 2012 when the national government took action the devastating effects of food deserts (Torres). In 2012, Michelle Obama, the First Lady of the United States, initiated a government-run food desert elimination campaign called Let’s Move, which seeks to eliminate all food deserts in America by 2017, and in turn, significantly decrease the obesity rate in the most obese country in the world (Obama, letsmove.gov). However, according to KevinMD, a website managed by working physicians, food deserts have not been recognized as a serious issue until 2013, which greatly hindered the progress of the food desert elimination campaign. Even for Birju Rao, a physician residing in Chicago, “the word ‘food desert’ was just another jargon term to be memorized and regurgitated on an exam” (Rao). His honest comment reveals that even physicians, who are experts in health, did not realize the devastating problems stirring under the deceivingly innocent word, “food desert”.
Historically, the food desert epidemic began as early as 1960’s when home gardens provided over 40% of the fresh produce such as fruits and vegetables consumed nationally (whyhunger.org). As industrialization began, mechanization replaced physical labor of farming, and as a result, the 20 million Victory Gardens from World War II were quickly overtaken by factories, which ultimately destroyed these citizens’ means of provision. This historical cause was catalyzed and worsened by the White Flight which left Chicago predominantly black and low-income. Since these citizens lacked the money, they could not spend money on healthy but expensive food choices and consequently, local food stores went out of business, which explains the patches of food deserts especially in low-income neighborhoods (whyhunger.org). The causes of food desert epidemic eventually leads to the devastating effects that inevitably follow it.
Due to the lack of healthy and fresh food, the families living in food deserts lack the basic necessary nutrients to fully enable their bodies. The average human should intake at least 4 cups of fruits and vegetables every day (Fry). However, suffering families, especially the low-income, cannot afford personal vehicles to commute back and forth to the grocery store, which in itself have expensive food choices. According to (the video we watched in class about food deserts…will find link/info later), families cannot perform academically as well as they know they could due to hunger and non-fully functional bodies. Therefore, workers are few but healthy workers are even fewer.
Works Cited
"Food Deserts." The Chicago Tribune. The Chicago Tribune, n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2014.
Fortino, Ellyn. "Progress Illinois." Progress Illinois. Profess Illinoi, 21 Aug. 2013. Web. 11 Apr.
2014.
Fry, Sidney. "How Many Fruits and Vegetables Should I Eat a Day?" Cooking Light. Cooking
Light, n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
Gallagher, Mari. "Examining the Impact of Food Deserts on Public Health in
Chicago." Marigallagher.com. Mari Gallagher Research and Consulting Group, n.d.
Web. 9 Apr. 2014.
"Let's Move." Letsmove.gov. Let's Move, n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
McClelland, Edward. "White Flight, By The Numbers." NBC Chicago. NBC Chicago, 6 May
2013. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.
Rao, Birju. "Food Deserts Are Incredibly Complex Problems." KevinMD.com. KevinMD, 27
Oct. 2013. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
Thomas, Monifa. "88,000 in Illinois Select Health Plan under Affordable Care Act – Chicago
Sun-Times." 88,000 in Illinois Select Health Plan under Affordable Care Act – Chicago
Sun-Times. Chicago Sun Times, 12 Feb. 2014. Web. 25 Apr. 2014.
Torres, Alec. "Studies Undermine Michelle Obama's 'Food Deserts' Campaign | National Review
Online." National Review Online. National Review, 12 Feb. 2014. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
"USDA ERS - Go to the Atlas." USDA ERS. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2014.
"Food Deserts." The Chicago Tribune. The Chicago Tribune, n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2014.
Fortino, Ellyn. "Progress Illinois." Progress Illinois. Profess Illinoi, 21 Aug. 2013. Web. 11 Apr.
2014.
Fry, Sidney. "How Many Fruits and Vegetables Should I Eat a Day?" Cooking Light. Cooking
Light, n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
Gallagher, Mari. "Examining the Impact of Food Deserts on Public Health in
Chicago." Marigallagher.com. Mari Gallagher Research and Consulting Group, n.d.
Web. 9 Apr. 2014.
"Let's Move." Letsmove.gov. Let's Move, n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
McClelland, Edward. "White Flight, By The Numbers." NBC Chicago. NBC Chicago, 6 May
2013. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.
Rao, Birju. "Food Deserts Are Incredibly Complex Problems." KevinMD.com. KevinMD, 27
Oct. 2013. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
Thomas, Monifa. "88,000 in Illinois Select Health Plan under Affordable Care Act – Chicago
Sun-Times." 88,000 in Illinois Select Health Plan under Affordable Care Act – Chicago
Sun-Times. Chicago Sun Times, 12 Feb. 2014. Web. 25 Apr. 2014.
Torres, Alec. "Studies Undermine Michelle Obama's 'Food Deserts' Campaign | National Review
Online." National Review Online. National Review, 12 Feb. 2014. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
"USDA ERS - Go to the Atlas." USDA ERS. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2014.
Final Draft
![Picture](/uploads/2/9/0/7/29074265/5235778.png?387)
Lacking Necessity: The Causes and Effects of Food Deserts
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, 23.5 million people live in food deserts and more than half of them are low-income and live more than 10 miles from an ordinary supermarket. A food desert is a geographic region, mostly in impoverished areas, where affordable and healthy groceries such as fruits and vegetables are highly limited or even nonexistent (USDA). In these food deserts, as previously stated from USDA, more than half of the people living in these food deserts are low-come, and as a result, they cannot move out of these unlivable circumstances but are forced to live and raise a family through it. According to USDA, African American and Hispanic communities have half the amount of grocery stores as white communities do and this racial segregation amongst cities causes the development of food deserts. Consequently, it affects these low-income Americans personally, economically and medically; and Chicago is a prime example of the devastating effects of food deserts. In Chicago, the majority of these suffering citizens are in low-income families and they lack fresh produce to allow their children to maximize their potentials academically and personally. Also, because they are low-income families, when the body breaks down – which is inevitable with only junk and highly processed food available – they are not able to pay for the medical bills, which results in the taxpayers of that state to pay for it. According to Monifa Thomas, a staff reporter for Chicago Sun Times, more than 88,000 Illinois residents received health insurance in 2013 from the Affordable Care Act. Evidently, the Chicago residents do not have the luxury of health insurance and without the help of the government, suffering is inevitable especially with the conditions of food deserts. Not only that but food deserts are also directly linked to health problems such as obesity, diabetes and other chronic illnesses because about 1 million Chicago residents lack fresh produce but are highly exposed to fast food (Food Empowerment Project). The problem of the prevalence of food deserts in Chicago is caused by the failure of not only the state but also the national government’s purposeful actions to stop the resegregation caused by the white flight and attention to increase the amount of fresh produce. As a result, not only the effected but also the surrounding citizens fall short of their potentials and suffer from the increase in healthcare costs from various diseases rooted from food deserts, which ends up becoming an economical burden. Ultimately, food deserts worsen the city’s already critical conditions of high crime and unemployment rate, and the plethora of problems that follow it. Over the years, starting in 2012, the
America provoked the prevalence of food deserts throughout the course of its history by sudden immigration and rapid industrialization. The food desert epidemic began as early as 1960s, a time when home gardens provided over 40% of the fresh produce such as fruits and vegetables consumed nationally (whyhunger.org). As industrialization began, mechanization replaced physical labor of farming, and as a result, the 20 million Victory Gardens from World War II were quickly overtaken by factories, which ultimately destroyed these citizens’ means of provision. This historical cause was catalyzed and worsened by the White Flight which left the majority of Chicago predominantly black and low-income. Since these citizens lacked the money, they could not spend money on healthy but expensive food choices and consequently, local food stores went out of business, which explains the patches of food deserts especially in low-income neighborhoods (whyhunger.org). From to beginning, this soon-to-be epidemic grew exponentially because of the quick industrialization and lack of consumers. Evident from the historical background of how the food desert epidemic started, food deserts hit the US soil running.
The main causes of food deserts is a national phenomenon called the White Flight, which eventually led to racial resegregation, and the fact that the state and national government both did not give enough attention to this phenomenon. The White Flight is a term coined in the 1960s in the US for the sudden dispersion of white population into the suburbs. As a result, racially desegregated Chicago neighborhoods became nearly 100% black neighborhoods (McClelland). For example, according to Edward McClelland in NBC Chicago, Englewood is 98.5% black and 0.6% white. More specifically, the white population “plummeted from 51,583 to 818” (The Chicago Reporter qtd. in McClelland). These detrimental numbers verify the existence of White Flight and the resegregation that resulted from it. In Figure 1, Emily Badger, a former staff writer for The Atlantic Cities and now an experienced writer for The Washing Post, illustrates the White Flight especially in these mid-eastern states. When zoomed in, the image depicts Cook County, Chicago in dark orange to symbolize 15.5% white population lost; therefore, the severity of resegregation catalyzed the growth of food deserts. As the consumers left for the suburbs, the industries followed. This left mostly the black population to face the consequences of skyrocketed unemployment rate and the beginning of food desert epidemic. The lack of a symbiotic relationship between consumer and market caused by the White Flight and the unabated immigration catalyzed the growth of food deserts.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, 23.5 million people live in food deserts and more than half of them are low-income and live more than 10 miles from an ordinary supermarket. A food desert is a geographic region, mostly in impoverished areas, where affordable and healthy groceries such as fruits and vegetables are highly limited or even nonexistent (USDA). In these food deserts, as previously stated from USDA, more than half of the people living in these food deserts are low-come, and as a result, they cannot move out of these unlivable circumstances but are forced to live and raise a family through it. According to USDA, African American and Hispanic communities have half the amount of grocery stores as white communities do and this racial segregation amongst cities causes the development of food deserts. Consequently, it affects these low-income Americans personally, economically and medically; and Chicago is a prime example of the devastating effects of food deserts. In Chicago, the majority of these suffering citizens are in low-income families and they lack fresh produce to allow their children to maximize their potentials academically and personally. Also, because they are low-income families, when the body breaks down – which is inevitable with only junk and highly processed food available – they are not able to pay for the medical bills, which results in the taxpayers of that state to pay for it. According to Monifa Thomas, a staff reporter for Chicago Sun Times, more than 88,000 Illinois residents received health insurance in 2013 from the Affordable Care Act. Evidently, the Chicago residents do not have the luxury of health insurance and without the help of the government, suffering is inevitable especially with the conditions of food deserts. Not only that but food deserts are also directly linked to health problems such as obesity, diabetes and other chronic illnesses because about 1 million Chicago residents lack fresh produce but are highly exposed to fast food (Food Empowerment Project). The problem of the prevalence of food deserts in Chicago is caused by the failure of not only the state but also the national government’s purposeful actions to stop the resegregation caused by the white flight and attention to increase the amount of fresh produce. As a result, not only the effected but also the surrounding citizens fall short of their potentials and suffer from the increase in healthcare costs from various diseases rooted from food deserts, which ends up becoming an economical burden. Ultimately, food deserts worsen the city’s already critical conditions of high crime and unemployment rate, and the plethora of problems that follow it. Over the years, starting in 2012, the
America provoked the prevalence of food deserts throughout the course of its history by sudden immigration and rapid industrialization. The food desert epidemic began as early as 1960s, a time when home gardens provided over 40% of the fresh produce such as fruits and vegetables consumed nationally (whyhunger.org). As industrialization began, mechanization replaced physical labor of farming, and as a result, the 20 million Victory Gardens from World War II were quickly overtaken by factories, which ultimately destroyed these citizens’ means of provision. This historical cause was catalyzed and worsened by the White Flight which left the majority of Chicago predominantly black and low-income. Since these citizens lacked the money, they could not spend money on healthy but expensive food choices and consequently, local food stores went out of business, which explains the patches of food deserts especially in low-income neighborhoods (whyhunger.org). From to beginning, this soon-to-be epidemic grew exponentially because of the quick industrialization and lack of consumers. Evident from the historical background of how the food desert epidemic started, food deserts hit the US soil running.
The main causes of food deserts is a national phenomenon called the White Flight, which eventually led to racial resegregation, and the fact that the state and national government both did not give enough attention to this phenomenon. The White Flight is a term coined in the 1960s in the US for the sudden dispersion of white population into the suburbs. As a result, racially desegregated Chicago neighborhoods became nearly 100% black neighborhoods (McClelland). For example, according to Edward McClelland in NBC Chicago, Englewood is 98.5% black and 0.6% white. More specifically, the white population “plummeted from 51,583 to 818” (The Chicago Reporter qtd. in McClelland). These detrimental numbers verify the existence of White Flight and the resegregation that resulted from it. In Figure 1, Emily Badger, a former staff writer for The Atlantic Cities and now an experienced writer for The Washing Post, illustrates the White Flight especially in these mid-eastern states. When zoomed in, the image depicts Cook County, Chicago in dark orange to symbolize 15.5% white population lost; therefore, the severity of resegregation catalyzed the growth of food deserts. As the consumers left for the suburbs, the industries followed. This left mostly the black population to face the consequences of skyrocketed unemployment rate and the beginning of food desert epidemic. The lack of a symbiotic relationship between consumer and market caused by the White Flight and the unabated immigration catalyzed the growth of food deserts.
![Picture](/uploads/2/9/0/7/29074265/3724479.png?284)
In addition, the American citizens’ ignorance delayed the efforts to stop or at least slow down the growth and effects of food deserts. Alec Torres, a William F. Buckley Fellow at the National Review Institute, asserts that it was not until a year ago in 2012 when the national government took action against the devastating effects of food deserts (Torres). Even though the food desert epidemic began in the 1960s, it took the national government 52 years to realize its ubiquitous effects. During the 52 years of ignorance, food desert consumed the impoverished regions of the nation, including Chicago. In Figure 2, it is evident that about 50% of Chicago is enveloped by food deserts which desperately calls for action. In 2012, Michelle Obama, the First Lady of the United States, initiated a government-run food desert elimination campaign called Let’s Move, which seeks to eliminate all food deserts in America by 2017, and in turn, significantly decrease the obesity rate in the most obese country in the world (Obama, letsmove.gov). However, according to KevinMD, a website managed by working physicians, food deserts have not been recognized as a serious issue until 2013, which greatly hindered the progress of the food desert elimination campaign since in a democracy, majority rules; and significant actions cannot be taken without the majority of American citizens understanding the causes and effects of food deserts. Even for Birju Rao, a physician residing in Chicago, “the word ‘food desert’ was just another jargon term to be memorized and regurgitated on an exam” (Rao). His honest comment reveals that even physicians, who are experts in health, did not realize the devastating problems stirring under the deceivingly innocent word, “food desert”. The American citizens’ deleterious unawareness of food deserts prevented the state and national governments from important measures to fight against this epidemic and left the citizens to suffer its severe consequences.
![Picture](/uploads/2/9/0/7/29074265/5332.png?298)
Due to the lack of healthy and fresh food, the families living in food deserts lack the basic necessary nutrients to fully enable their bodies. The average human should intake at least 4 cups of fruits and vegetables every day (Fry). However, suffering families, especially the low-income, cannot afford personal vehicles to commute back and forth to the grocery store, which in itself have expensive food choices. Also, families cannot perform academically as well as they know they could due to hunger and non-fully functional bodies. Not only are these families losing their potentials but they are also prone to violent crimes. The lack of fresh food in impoverished areas and the rate of crimes are directly correlated. Logically, without healthy food, the body isn’t able to function properly, especially the brain. As a result, many of the citizens in food deserts aren’t capable of thinking to their righteous potential. As the desperation for food rises, each family becomes individualistic and the tension between each family causes violent crimes evident in Chicago public high schools. In Figure 3, Julia Burdick-Will, a postdoctoral research associate at Brown University, illustrates the ubiquitous amounts of violent crimes in Chicago. These violent crime rates can also be linked back to the causes of grocery stores and consumers leaving Chicago. The fear of being mugged, kidnapped or killed drove out its suppliers and eventually the citizens who could afford to leave. On top of these hazardous conditions caused by undeveloped potentials, the body also naturally responds to the food desert epidemic with chronic illnesses.
![Picture](/uploads/2/9/0/7/29074265/914155.png?402)
The prevalence of food deserts naturally causes health defects such as obesity and diabetes, which results in an extreme healthcare cost and if unable to pay – which most citizens can’t – burdens the surrounding citizens. According the Dawn Turner, a writer for The Chicago Tribune, “nationally, about 35% of adults are obese”. However, as clearly shown in Figure 4, most of the regions in Chicago are easily over the national average obesity rate. This dangerously high rate is caused by food deserts; because fresh products are not within reach, these citizens resort to highly processed junk foods. Consequently, they lack the basic nutrients but gain unnecessary fats. With the prevalence of obesity, the cases of chronic illnesses also increased. The average rate of deaths caused by diabetes in Chicago is 1,654 people per year (“Public Health Statistics). This number seems small but it actually means about 5 people die every single day from a disease that can be prevented. These unabated deaths are constantly increasing as the amount of food deserts increase as time goes by.
![Picture](/uploads/2/9/0/7/29074265/973998.png?657)
The food desert quickly became an epidemic and now calls for immediate action from not only the government but also from the citizens. Its devastating effects announced itself to be dangerous, which finally caught the attention and awareness of government officials and the citizens. Since 2012, the US have been taking small steps towards the elimination of food deserts. Each state, including Chicago, began educated its citizens about the importance of healthy food and the reality of food deserts. Also, the accessibility of food deserts increased since 2011.
As clearly stated in Figure 5, there are definite strides in reducing the amount of food deserts and increasing the fresh food suppliers. Even though these steps may be small, it is just the beginning of stopping what has come too far.
As clearly stated in Figure 5, there are definite strides in reducing the amount of food deserts and increasing the fresh food suppliers. Even though these steps may be small, it is just the beginning of stopping what has come too far.
Works Cited
Badger, Emily. Net White Migration during the 1970s. Digital image. The Atlantic Cities. The
Atlantic Cities, 1 Nov. 2013. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.
Emily badger, a former writer for The Atlantic Cities and a current writer for The Washington Post, argues that one can learn where the fortunes of the nation will be by observing the migration over the years. Badger writes a recent informative graphic article for an up-to-date publication in the field of maps. In order to support her thesis that by observing the migration patterns, one can know which cities are thriving, she provides multiple graphs and charts that are easily understood. Badger is writing for The Atlantic Cities which means she targets the audience who is middle-class educated and are interested in a particular city, in this case, Chicago.
Badger, Emily. "What Food Desert Maps Get Wrong About How People Eat." The Atlantic
Cities. The Atlantic Cities, 20 Feb. 2013. Web. 11 Apr. 2014.
Emily Badger, a former writer for The Atlantic Cities and a current writer for The Washington Post, argues that food desert maps miss the big picture of its own problem: where are these citizens shopping for their goods since groceries stores are scarce and why are they shopping there? Badger constructs an opinionated argument for an up-to-date publication in the field of health and opinion. In order to support her argument that food desert maps are too vague, Badger provides multiple pictures of food deserts and how they can be more specific such as adding exactly where the markets are and the transportation that can be taken to commute between them. Since she is writing for The Atlantic Cities, Badger shares the same audience as them, which is most likely the educated middle-class citizens who are interested in a specific city.
Burdick-Will, Julia. "School Violent Crime and Academic Achievement in Chicago." PMC.
PMC, 18 Nov. 2013. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.
Julia Burdick-Will, a postdoctoral research associate at Brown University, argues that the violent crime rates are directly correlated to academic achievement. Burdick-Will writes an academic article that is meant to inform and persuade its audience with logical arguments and data. In order to support her arguments, she provides detailed graphics, charts, tables and specific examples of high school violence in Chicago to appeal to the audience’s logos, ethos and pathos. Burdick-Will’s publication is PMC, an archive of biomedical and life sciences journals, which reveals that her audience is an academic audience who is highly educated and are interested in the sciences in the daily life.
Choucair, Bechara, and Barbara Byrd-Bennett. "Overweight and Obesity among Chicago Public
Schools Students, 2010-11." Cityofchicago.org. City Of Chicago, n.d. Web. 20 Apr.
2014.
"Food Deserts." The Chicago Tribune. The Chicago Tribune, n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2014.
"Food Deserts." Food Empowerment Project. Food Empowerment Project, n.d. Web. 22 Apr.
2014.
Fortino, Ellyn. "Progress Illinois." Progress Illinois. Profess Illinoi, 21 Aug. 2013. Web. 11 Apr.
2014.
Fry, Sidney. "How Many Fruits and Vegetables Should I Eat a Day?" Cooking Light. Cooking
Light, n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
Gallagher, Mari. Chicago’s Food Deserts by Tract with Community Boundaries. Digital
Image. Marigallagher.com. Mari Gallagher Research and Consulting Group, 2006. Web.
20 Apr. 2014.
Gallagher, Mari. "Examining the Impact of Food Deserts on Public Health in
Chicago." Marigallagher.com. Mari Gallagher Research and Consulting Group, n.d.
Web. 9 Apr. 2014.
Author: Mari Gallagher is the Principal of the Mari Gallagher Research and Consulting Group, which researches the public and consults organizations and government agencies on how to further improve the community. She has authored over 100 studies on food access, community health and multiple other community-related topics. These prove that she is an expert in the field of food deserts and thereby a valuable expert in the topic of food deserts.
Publishers: The publishers of Mari Gallagher’s research and consultations is not just one place. Gallagher has over a 100 publishers such as the Harvard, MIT and even her own research and consulting group. Her affiliations with these publishers are directly related to the Mari Gallagher Research and Consulting Group since the goal is to provide better community health. As a result, Gallagher and her publishers share the same audience, which is the educated citizens who are interested in reforming a suffering community’s health. Gallagher’s expertise lies directly in food access and community health; therefore, she is credible.
Relevance: The information found in this article is directly relevant to my topic of food deserts. Gallagher provides statistics, graphs arguments and solutions to deal with this growing crisis. As previously stated, this article is essentially made up of hard facts and arguments derived from those facts. As a result, I am able to dive deeper into the topic of food deserts by learning the reality of its seriousness through hard data. I plan to use the sources found in these arguments mainly in my introduction to emphasize the effects of food deserts and why it should be taken under critical consideration.
Comprehensiveness: I consider this academic article a well-balanced and mostly unbiased because of the prevalence of hard facts. Facts cannot be made up; therefore, the audience understands that this is the reality, not a biased opinion. Gallagher provides a thorough research article because of the range of its data. It does not focus on one part of the effects of food deserts but it actually visualizes many aspects of it.
Timeliness: This article was posted in 2013, therefore, the statistics are mostly up-to-date and the analysis of these statistics illustrates the reality of the problems caused by food deserts in the East. Since this article was so thorough, it must at least a couple of years on top of the year of waiting for publishing. During those years, food deserts were not taken as seriously as they are now. As for me, I did not even know the existence of food deserts until this year. I am a college student and yet I did not know the crisis occurring right under my feet.
"Healthy Food Financing Initiative (H.R. 2343)." GovTrack.us. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 June 2014.
Holzman, David C. "A Healthy Food Financing Initiative." Environmental Health
Perspectives 118.4 (2010): n. pag. The Food Trust. The Food Trust, 12 Mar. 2012. Web.
28 May 2014.
Karpyn, Allison. Green For All (n.d.): n. pag. Green For All. Green For All, 2009. Web.
"Let's Move." Letsmove.gov. Let's Move, n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
"Mayor Emanuel Announces Release of Food Desert Data and New Interactive Efforts to
Combat Food Deserts in Chicago." City of Chicago. City of Chicago, n.d. Web. 29 Apr.
2014.
McClelland, Edward. "White Flight, By The Numbers." NBC Chicago. NBC Chicago, 6 May
2013. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.
"Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative." The Reinvestment Fund. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 June
2014.
"Public Health Statistics- Selected Underlying Causes of Death in Chicago, 2005 – 2009 | City of
Chicago | Data Portal." Chicago. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.
Rao, Birju. "Food Deserts Are Incredibly Complex Problems." KevinMD.com. KevinMD, 27
Oct. 2013. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
SNAP. "Your Benefits." SNAP Benefits and EBT. USDA, n.d. Web. 03 June 2014.
Thomas, Monifa. “88,000 in Illinois Select Health Plan under Affordable Care Act – Chicago
Sun-Times.” 88,000 in Illinois Select Health Plan under Affordable Care Act – Chicago
Sun-Times. Chicago Sun Times, 12 Feb. 2014. Web. 25 Apr. 2014.
Torres, Alec. "Studies Undermine Michelle Obama's 'Food Deserts' Campaign | National Review
Online." National Review Online. National Review, 12 Feb. 2014. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
Trice, Dawn T. "Report: Obesity Rising Dramatically in Illinois, Nation." The Chicago Tribune.
The Chicago Tribune, 18 Sept. 2012. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.
"USDA ERS - Go to the Atlas." USDA ERS. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2014.
Author: The creator of this interactive overview and map of food deserts is a government agency called the United States Department of Agriculture. This agency researches specifically about agriculture and since food deserts pertains to fresh produce, USDA provides the public of useful information of the reality in the nation.
Publishers: Since this is a government source, the publisher is also by the author, USDA. However, the government cannot always be trusted. Government publications allow me to diversify my sources and gather general statistics on a topic such as food deserts.
Relevance: This source is directly relevant to food deserts because it is an interactive map about food deserts. With this, I am able to see exactly which parts of Illinois or Michigan are most deprived of fresh produce and this interactive atlas even allows me to see which parts inside each cities are suffering from the effects of food deserts.
Comprehensiveness: Although this source is an excellent source to learn more about food deserts and how prevalent they are in the nation and specifically in Chicago and Detroit, it is limited because it is only about locations of food deserts. It does not go a wide range of details about food deserts but it does go deep into one aspect of food deserts.
Timeliness: The timeliness of this source is constantly up-to-date because there are updates on the information on the interactive map every month. The updated map allows the audience to understand exactly how prevalent food deserts are in America, especially in Chicago and Detroit.
Xerox. "Eight Ways to Reduce State Healthcare Costs." Eight Ways to Reduce State Healthcare
Costs (n.d.): n. pag. Web. 29 May 2014.
Badger, Emily. Net White Migration during the 1970s. Digital image. The Atlantic Cities. The
Atlantic Cities, 1 Nov. 2013. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.
Emily badger, a former writer for The Atlantic Cities and a current writer for The Washington Post, argues that one can learn where the fortunes of the nation will be by observing the migration over the years. Badger writes a recent informative graphic article for an up-to-date publication in the field of maps. In order to support her thesis that by observing the migration patterns, one can know which cities are thriving, she provides multiple graphs and charts that are easily understood. Badger is writing for The Atlantic Cities which means she targets the audience who is middle-class educated and are interested in a particular city, in this case, Chicago.
Badger, Emily. "What Food Desert Maps Get Wrong About How People Eat." The Atlantic
Cities. The Atlantic Cities, 20 Feb. 2013. Web. 11 Apr. 2014.
Emily Badger, a former writer for The Atlantic Cities and a current writer for The Washington Post, argues that food desert maps miss the big picture of its own problem: where are these citizens shopping for their goods since groceries stores are scarce and why are they shopping there? Badger constructs an opinionated argument for an up-to-date publication in the field of health and opinion. In order to support her argument that food desert maps are too vague, Badger provides multiple pictures of food deserts and how they can be more specific such as adding exactly where the markets are and the transportation that can be taken to commute between them. Since she is writing for The Atlantic Cities, Badger shares the same audience as them, which is most likely the educated middle-class citizens who are interested in a specific city.
Burdick-Will, Julia. "School Violent Crime and Academic Achievement in Chicago." PMC.
PMC, 18 Nov. 2013. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.
Julia Burdick-Will, a postdoctoral research associate at Brown University, argues that the violent crime rates are directly correlated to academic achievement. Burdick-Will writes an academic article that is meant to inform and persuade its audience with logical arguments and data. In order to support her arguments, she provides detailed graphics, charts, tables and specific examples of high school violence in Chicago to appeal to the audience’s logos, ethos and pathos. Burdick-Will’s publication is PMC, an archive of biomedical and life sciences journals, which reveals that her audience is an academic audience who is highly educated and are interested in the sciences in the daily life.
Choucair, Bechara, and Barbara Byrd-Bennett. "Overweight and Obesity among Chicago Public
Schools Students, 2010-11." Cityofchicago.org. City Of Chicago, n.d. Web. 20 Apr.
2014.
"Food Deserts." The Chicago Tribune. The Chicago Tribune, n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2014.
"Food Deserts." Food Empowerment Project. Food Empowerment Project, n.d. Web. 22 Apr.
2014.
Fortino, Ellyn. "Progress Illinois." Progress Illinois. Profess Illinoi, 21 Aug. 2013. Web. 11 Apr.
2014.
Fry, Sidney. "How Many Fruits and Vegetables Should I Eat a Day?" Cooking Light. Cooking
Light, n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
Gallagher, Mari. Chicago’s Food Deserts by Tract with Community Boundaries. Digital
Image. Marigallagher.com. Mari Gallagher Research and Consulting Group, 2006. Web.
20 Apr. 2014.
Gallagher, Mari. "Examining the Impact of Food Deserts on Public Health in
Chicago." Marigallagher.com. Mari Gallagher Research and Consulting Group, n.d.
Web. 9 Apr. 2014.
Author: Mari Gallagher is the Principal of the Mari Gallagher Research and Consulting Group, which researches the public and consults organizations and government agencies on how to further improve the community. She has authored over 100 studies on food access, community health and multiple other community-related topics. These prove that she is an expert in the field of food deserts and thereby a valuable expert in the topic of food deserts.
Publishers: The publishers of Mari Gallagher’s research and consultations is not just one place. Gallagher has over a 100 publishers such as the Harvard, MIT and even her own research and consulting group. Her affiliations with these publishers are directly related to the Mari Gallagher Research and Consulting Group since the goal is to provide better community health. As a result, Gallagher and her publishers share the same audience, which is the educated citizens who are interested in reforming a suffering community’s health. Gallagher’s expertise lies directly in food access and community health; therefore, she is credible.
Relevance: The information found in this article is directly relevant to my topic of food deserts. Gallagher provides statistics, graphs arguments and solutions to deal with this growing crisis. As previously stated, this article is essentially made up of hard facts and arguments derived from those facts. As a result, I am able to dive deeper into the topic of food deserts by learning the reality of its seriousness through hard data. I plan to use the sources found in these arguments mainly in my introduction to emphasize the effects of food deserts and why it should be taken under critical consideration.
Comprehensiveness: I consider this academic article a well-balanced and mostly unbiased because of the prevalence of hard facts. Facts cannot be made up; therefore, the audience understands that this is the reality, not a biased opinion. Gallagher provides a thorough research article because of the range of its data. It does not focus on one part of the effects of food deserts but it actually visualizes many aspects of it.
Timeliness: This article was posted in 2013, therefore, the statistics are mostly up-to-date and the analysis of these statistics illustrates the reality of the problems caused by food deserts in the East. Since this article was so thorough, it must at least a couple of years on top of the year of waiting for publishing. During those years, food deserts were not taken as seriously as they are now. As for me, I did not even know the existence of food deserts until this year. I am a college student and yet I did not know the crisis occurring right under my feet.
"Healthy Food Financing Initiative (H.R. 2343)." GovTrack.us. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 June 2014.
Holzman, David C. "A Healthy Food Financing Initiative." Environmental Health
Perspectives 118.4 (2010): n. pag. The Food Trust. The Food Trust, 12 Mar. 2012. Web.
28 May 2014.
Karpyn, Allison. Green For All (n.d.): n. pag. Green For All. Green For All, 2009. Web.
"Let's Move." Letsmove.gov. Let's Move, n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
"Mayor Emanuel Announces Release of Food Desert Data and New Interactive Efforts to
Combat Food Deserts in Chicago." City of Chicago. City of Chicago, n.d. Web. 29 Apr.
2014.
McClelland, Edward. "White Flight, By The Numbers." NBC Chicago. NBC Chicago, 6 May
2013. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.
"Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative." The Reinvestment Fund. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 June
2014.
"Public Health Statistics- Selected Underlying Causes of Death in Chicago, 2005 – 2009 | City of
Chicago | Data Portal." Chicago. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.
Rao, Birju. "Food Deserts Are Incredibly Complex Problems." KevinMD.com. KevinMD, 27
Oct. 2013. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
SNAP. "Your Benefits." SNAP Benefits and EBT. USDA, n.d. Web. 03 June 2014.
Thomas, Monifa. “88,000 in Illinois Select Health Plan under Affordable Care Act – Chicago
Sun-Times.” 88,000 in Illinois Select Health Plan under Affordable Care Act – Chicago
Sun-Times. Chicago Sun Times, 12 Feb. 2014. Web. 25 Apr. 2014.
Torres, Alec. "Studies Undermine Michelle Obama's 'Food Deserts' Campaign | National Review
Online." National Review Online. National Review, 12 Feb. 2014. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
Trice, Dawn T. "Report: Obesity Rising Dramatically in Illinois, Nation." The Chicago Tribune.
The Chicago Tribune, 18 Sept. 2012. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.
"USDA ERS - Go to the Atlas." USDA ERS. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2014.
Author: The creator of this interactive overview and map of food deserts is a government agency called the United States Department of Agriculture. This agency researches specifically about agriculture and since food deserts pertains to fresh produce, USDA provides the public of useful information of the reality in the nation.
Publishers: Since this is a government source, the publisher is also by the author, USDA. However, the government cannot always be trusted. Government publications allow me to diversify my sources and gather general statistics on a topic such as food deserts.
Relevance: This source is directly relevant to food deserts because it is an interactive map about food deserts. With this, I am able to see exactly which parts of Illinois or Michigan are most deprived of fresh produce and this interactive atlas even allows me to see which parts inside each cities are suffering from the effects of food deserts.
Comprehensiveness: Although this source is an excellent source to learn more about food deserts and how prevalent they are in the nation and specifically in Chicago and Detroit, it is limited because it is only about locations of food deserts. It does not go a wide range of details about food deserts but it does go deep into one aspect of food deserts.
Timeliness: The timeliness of this source is constantly up-to-date because there are updates on the information on the interactive map every month. The updated map allows the audience to understand exactly how prevalent food deserts are in America, especially in Chicago and Detroit.
Xerox. "Eight Ways to Reduce State Healthcare Costs." Eight Ways to Reduce State Healthcare
Costs (n.d.): n. pag. Web. 29 May 2014.
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comp_1_working_draft.docx |