Having access to healthy and nutritious food is essential for maintaining good health. However, in 2023 a study found that over 42 percent of the world’s population could not afford a healthy diet. A recent study by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency also found that people in wealthier areas had access to over three times as many supermarkets as those in poorer neighborhoods. With this in mind, healthy foods must become more accessible and affordable to the wider community.
Healthy food is an important part of our diets and helps our bodies function the way they need to. A study published by the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that diets rich in fruits and vegetables can lower systolic blood pressure by an average of eight to 14 mm Hg in people who are dealing with high blood pressure. Healthy produce has numerous positive benefits for our body and allows us to stay energized throughout the day.
Over 23 million Americans live in low-income households and neighborhoods over a mile from the closest grocery store. As the food industry and companies grow, fewer farmers’ markets or small businesses can open, leaving grocery stores scarce or far and few between in lower-income areas. If people lived closer and had more access to grocery stores, they would be exposed to more nutritious foods, leading to healthier eating habits.
Unfortunately, as produce prices rise, fewer people are able to purchase healthy foods. Compared to the extremely cheap prices of ultra-processed foods, it is hard to see produce as the right eating choice in the eyes of the consumer. Eating a healthy, produce-rich diet costs around $1.50 more per day, per person, than having an unhealthy diet. Households with the lowest incomes, spending approximately $14.46 per day on food, have greater difficulty maximizing their budget when purchasing healthy foods.
Produce and healthy food prices need to be made more affordable and accessible to everyone regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, and social class. According to the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology, lowering the prices of healthy foods by 30 percent would save almost 200,000 lives over 15 years. However, the reason organic and healthy foods cost so much money is due to supply and demand, labor shortages, and unpredictable weather conditions. Considering this, it is unlikely that the prices of produce will go down by a significant amount.
Nevertheless, there are still ways we can promote change within our communities. Food drives are a great way to help people get nutrients and healthy food. More food drives should be established around areas with lower income rates. Even small actions like volunteering at a food drive or just donating extra food and canned goods can make a meaningful difference.
Mitigating food waste is another strategy. Americans waste almost 60 million tons of food each year. That is nearly 40 percent of the entire U.S. food supply. This wasted food contributes to a loss of money, land, and natural resources. Saving healthy foods that would otherwise go to waste and donating them is crucial. Moreover, if buyers do not over-purchase foods, the supply available would increase, resulting in a potential decrease in the price of healthy foods. Planning out your meals before shopping and freezing food you won’t be able to eat within a few days of being purchased are just a few ways you can limit the amount of waste you contribute.
Growing your own food and community gardens are another way to bring healthy fresh produce to communities with less access to supermarkets. Community gardens promote sustainable agriculture and provide healthy and nutritious food. Vegetables and fruits grown in your own home gardens also will have more nutrients than those bought in stores.
Healthy food must become accessible to all. From helping stop hunger, to decreasing obesity, everyone in Berkeley would benefit from these efforts. While unfair pricing and accessibility are rooted systemically, there are plenty of small changes we can make to help move the needle, and together, we can make healthy produce available to everyone.