Photo by D.C. Government
D.C. food deserts are highlighted in light and dark purple
An online petition is circulating in support of D.C. Council legislation to address "food deserts" in Washington -- legislation introduced by Councilmember Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3) this summer. Wards 7 and 8, the two wards with the lowest average household incomes, have 16% of the District's grocery stores but 23% of the city's population, while Wards 2 (including Georgetown) and 3, the two with the highest average household incomes, have 44% of the city's grocery stores and 27% of the population.
So-called "food deserts" lacking grocery stores lead to high rates of overweight and obesity. Over half of District's residents are overweight or obese. In Ward 8, which is most plagued by food deserts, the prevalence of overweight and obesity is 71.5%.
"What is lacking...is a comprehensive, coordinated, effort – linking public, private, and federal resources – to improve access to healthy foods in our low-income communities. Therefore, I expect that we can support this program by reallocating resources within the District government," said Cheh.
See more information and the online petition here.
0 Comments For This Article
What, are they going to force Giant or Safeway to set up a store there? Lol. Why can't people take the metro once a week to pick up some groceries? Laziness, that's why.
I dare say that the residents in Ward 7 and in Ward 8 would have a tendency to be overweight. Kentucky Fried Chicken and Popeye's does not make for a svelt figure. I would rather there were more grocery stores in those wards to keep them out of mine!
The comments to this article are truly something. No, laziness is not the reason it's difficult to get groceries when there are none around. And DC belongs to All of us Ms. Mabel. Being that this is a free country, I can travel to whichever ward I please, thank you very much! I didn't think people who use the shield of the internet as a sheet lived in the District.
I'm saddened, but not surprised, to see racism and classism rear their ugly heads in a discussion like this. Kevin, maybe you should consider the logistical difficulties of having to transport your family's groceries on public transportation, but that would require empathy. What else would you like to see segregated, Mabel?