New Chicago Mayor Emanuel seeks to eliminate food deserts
May 17, 2011
Yesterday, Chicago saw the inauguration of Rahm Emanuel, our first new mayor in more than two decades. While flipping through Time Out Chicago magazine on my way to work today, I found myself reading the Entrance interview: Rahm Emanuel article in full. I admit that the more I read, the more excited I became as I imagined the things our new leader might accomplish, truly shaking up politics and lives in Chicago.
Towards the end of the article Emanuel states:
“My first priority [in reference to another topic mentioned in the article,] is dealing with the food desert issue. There are two ways I want to come at that. I’m going to convene a mayor’s conference with all the major and minor grocers about their plans for the next four years in the city of Chicago. I want them to report on what they’re doing. In addition, we have the most antiquated laws and ordinances as it relates to urban agriculture, in getting areas converted for year-round growth of fresh fruits and vegetables, employment opportunities, and then selling food from that place.”
Intrigued, I seeked more information on Emanuel’s stance on the topic. “There is something fundamentally wrong in a city or society where 600,000 people, on the last count, do not have access to fresh fruits and vegetables,” he said in a CBS Chicago report. He brought the subject up again at an event this past Saturday, as stated in Mayor-elect: ‘We all have a role to play’ from the Chicago Tribune.
As the nation’s largest hunger-relief organization, diminishing food deserts and creating opportunities for community gardens or urban agriculture, is a big priority to Feeding America as well. With the Feeding America national office in Chicago, and with a 16.1% food insecurity rate in Cook County (research from the Map the Meal Gap project, released March 2011), I look forward to seeing Mayor Emanuel’s words in action and doing my part to help make these promises a reality, not just for Chicagoans, but for Americans in every city across the United States.
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Comments
Way to go. It is the best thing you can do. we need wholesome food that everyone has access to.
Posted by betsy fields | May 17, 2011 at 11:02 PM
Tackling the “food desert” issue is complex, since it is not just about making fresh fruits and vegetables accessible; they need to be affordable and people need to know how to cook them in newer, healthier ways. For those interested, here’s a link to a new NPR/Southword series, this one focusing on the food deserts in Mississippi. Many people left the Delta for Chicago in the last century, so there are strong cultural connections between the two.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/pictureshow/2011/05/19/136372195/what-makes-bad-food-so-good-thoughts-on-americas-most-obese-region
Posted by Sherry Appel | May 20, 2011 at 10:23 AM