There are too many neighborhoods in Tennessee where fast food and soft drinks are readily available, but it is nearly impossible to find fresh fruits and vegetables.
Low-income neighborhoods are most affected by this problem, and research confirms that residents of low-income areas have significantly less access to healthy foods than their middle-class or affluent neighbors.
Urban neighborhoods are often crowded with small convenience stores that have higher prices, fewer selections, minimal fresh food options, and lots of processed, calorie-dense, low-nutritional-value foods. The challenge can be even greater in rural areas where food retailers are completely absent. The term "food desert" describes communities where the lack of healthy food options translates into high rates of obesity, diabetes and other diet-related problems.
Manna-Food Security Partners is working to change the food system in Tennessee and improve access to healthy food for everyone. We applaud state Sen. Andy Berke and Rep. Craig Fitzhugh for the leadership they have shown by introducing the Food Desert Relief Act (SB 2976/HB 3094), now before the Tennessee legislature. This bill would create incentives to attract grocery stores or farmers markets to food-desert neighborhoods.
We know that increasing access to fresh foods can significantly improve the health of food-desert residents. Studies have shown that with each additional supermarket in a neighborhood, fruit and vegetable intake can increase as much as 32 percent; that increased availability of chain supermarkets has a significant association with lower rates of teen obesity; and that proximity to food retail outlets can influence the diet quality of pregnant women.
New supermarkets also bring jobs and tax revenue to communities. The Fresh Food Financing Initiative, a public-private partnership in Pennsylvania, developed a model solution. Since 2004, it has helped create 83 supermarkets and fresh food outlets throughout the state, creating or retaining 5,000 jobs.
Financing for new farmers markets would provide increased marketing opportunities for small- to mid-sized farms and enhance the economic viability of our state's agricultural sector.
The national dialogue on childhood obesity and diet-related problems in adults is inescapable. This conversation is especially relevant in Tennessee, which has the fifth-highest rate of obesity in the U.S. and soaring rates of diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. Increasing access to healthy food must be an integral part of the solution to this costly and devastating problem.
The Tennessee House Finance Committee recently heard testimony on the health and economic benefits that the Food Des-ert Relief Act can create, and it will vote on the bill in the coming weeks. We believe this bill is a vital step toward the creation of a food system that better serves the health and well-being of all Tennesseans.
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