Certified organic foods are expensive compared to processed foods since their cost of production is relatively higher than the cost of conventional food. Based on Drisdelle et al. (2020), organic beverages and foods run an average of 47 percent more compared to their conventional counterparts. Neighborhood disparities in access to healthy foods result in a lack of healthy food options. Coupled with existing economic conditions, the food environment for the poor places the people in low-income neighborhoods at risk of unhealthy diets resulting in obesity and obesity-related health complications (Drisdelle et al., 2020). Low-income people encounter economic challenges when trying to purchase healthy foods. Due to this, most food stores in their neighborhoods are stocked with fewer healthier food varieties than retailers in high-income neighborhoods.
To redress the challenge of healthy food options in low-income neighborhoods, policy initiatives such as calorie labeling in fast-food restaurants will help people from the neighborhoods to make informed decisions. Calorie labeling can potentially encourage improvements in the offered menus at the restaurants through the promotion and offering of lower-calorie diets. Individuals in low-income neighborhoods must be exposed more to such information to help them make informed decisions, which will, in turn, help dictate their purchasing patterns and the overall impact on their health (Drisdelle et al., 2020). Another approach o redress the issue is to engage both the public and private organizations to introduce supermarkets in low-income neighborhoods. Through such partnerships, it would be possible to provide individuals in the neighborhoods with various healthy food options. Further, improved food transportation in low-income neighborhoods will result in improved access to a variety of healthy foods (Drisdelle et al., 2020). The initiative coupled with private-public partnerships might result in options like using mobile markets to direct incentives for food retailers and bringing fresh products to the people.
Reference
Drisdelle, C., Kestens, Y., Hamelin, A.-M., & Mercille, G. (2020). Disparities in Access to Healthy Diets: How Food Security and Food Shopping Behaviors Relate to Fruit and Vegetable Intake. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 120, 11, 1847-1858.