Council Hosts Food Access Discussion

On Tuesday, November 11, the District 1 Community Council will host a discussion of food access and food security in our neighborhoods. The meeting is open to the public and will take place at 7pm in the Conway Rec Center.

The USDA uses the term food security to assess the availability and accessibility of food to people in a given area. A community is "food secure" when all of its members have access to a culturally acceptable, nutritionally adequate diet through conventional food sources. District 1 exhibits some signs of being food insecure. These include:

1. High Prices
Our two supermarkets, Cub Foods and Byerly’s, are both located along I-94 in the northern part of the district. This means that residents in outlying neighborhoods have to rely on convenience stores if they do not drive or cannot afford fuel. In July, 2008, a gallon of 1% milk cost $3.10 at Cub, $3.79 at Byerly’s, and on average $4.01 at local convenience stores. A 1-lb loaf of bread cost $1.45 at Cub, $1.67 at Byerly’s, and $2.01 at convenience stores.

2. Auto Dependency
The 63, 70, and 74 buslines run downtown from the SunRay Transit Center, but these routes are limited and buses do not run at high frequency. The 63K, which continues down McKnight Road to the apartment complexes, does not run at all in the middle of the day. 81.6 percent of renters in District 1 own vehicles, compared with only 58.5 in Hamline-Midway, a district in the center of the metro area. Car ownership and fuel prices make the cost of living higher, which means low-income families may have an even harder time paying for food.

3. Scarcity of Fresh Produce and Other Healthy Foods
District 1 does not have a farmers' market or food co-op, which means that locally produced food is nearly impossible to find. In addition, most convenience stores do not carry fresh fruits and vegetables. Most of the restaurants in the district serve fast food, which contains high levels of calories with little nutritional value.

4. Scarcity of Ethnic Foods
Since 1990, Southeast Asian, East African, and Latino populations in District 1 have doubled and tripled. According to 2000 census data, 11 percent of all district residents were born outside of the United States. The food offerings in the district do not reflect the level of cultural diversity that is present today among residents. The Somali community near the intersection of Lower Afton and McKnight Road is particularly underserved: Only one convenience store, the McKnight Superette, offers Halal meat and traditional East African breads, grains, and flours.

Some proposed solutions to these concerns include:

• Installing a mini farmers' market in the parking lot of one of our local churches
• Creating new community gardens like the Totem Town garden (pictured below)
  
• Organizing groups of neighbors to purchase CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) shares
• Offering youth nutrition classes or partnering with local youth gardening programs
  
• Opening a food pantry or expanding the services at Merrick Community Food Shelf

Please join us on Tuesday to discuss food access in District 1 and the proposed solutions. We value your input!

Heidi Evans, District 1 Community Council Intern