Studies throughout the nation demonstrate that low-income neighborhoods and communities of color often struggle to find nutritious, healthy, affordable food. A recent 2009 USDA study found that 23.5 million persons live in low-income communities and lack access to a supermarket within a mile of their home. Increasing access to healthy, fresh, affordable food leads to improvement in diet, better health outcomes, improved economic development, and strengthened communities. The benefits to individuals and communities are tangible, including:
Improves diet.Studies find that when residents have greater access to healthy foods in their neighborhood, they tend to consume more fresh fruits, vegetables, and other healthy items.
Improves health.Studies also find that individuals with access to stores selling fresh produce have lower rates of diet-related diseases than their counterparts.
Creates and retains jobs.Developing food retail opportunities in communities can help create and retain jobs.
Local production leads to more local jobs. It is estimated that “for every $1 million of new farm revenue from local basic food purchases, the local economy could grow by $2 million in new income and 1.45 jobs.”
A large, full-service supermarket creates between 100 and 200 full- and part-time jobs, and there is some emerging evidence that a grocery store can increase local tax revenues and stabilize or even increase local home values. For example, one study found that tripling the amount of fresh produce that farmers sell directly to consumers at farmers’ markets in Michigan could generate as many as 1,889 new jobs and $187 million in additional personal income.
Revitalizes the local economy.Keeping food growth, production, and sales within the community benefits the local economy. Every time money changes hands within a community, it boosts income and economic activity, and it fuels job creation within that community. This is because locally owned businesses are more likely to re-spend their dollars locally. A growing body of evidence demonstrates that a dollar spent in a locally owned business circulates two to four times more in the community, compared to that same dollar spent in an equivalent non-local business.
One study found that if New Yorkers bought 10 percent more of their food from New York farmers and the same percentage from New York manufacturers, they would fuel economic growth with 17,000 new jobs and $16.5 billion in revenue.
These numbers are similar in Virginia as well, where the Virginia Cooperative Extension estimated that if every Virginia household spent $10 per week on locally produced food, this would translate into a billion dollars each year added to the state’s economy.
Strengthens communities and neighborhoods.Farmers’ markets, community supported agriculture and community gardens not only improve food access for residents, but also strengthen ties among community members. These food retailers provide meeting places where families can interact with their neighbors and talk with their food providers.
