food desert, what food says about class in america

Food Deserts
I think mapping can provide useful information when looking at food systems and food access, but it doesn't necessarily tell the whole story. I took issue with the shockingly simplistic explanation of the very complex issue of what people eat and why. "The unpalatable truth seems to be that some Americans simply do not care to eat a balanced diet, while others, increasingly, cannot afford to." I feel like the article completely avoids the impact that education and empowerment can have on creating behavioral changes. Someone trying to help diabetic people get healthy wouldn't just put a box of insulin injections on a street corner in a neighborhood that has little access to health care and expect huge changes. Simply looking at available resources is not enough. People need to have buy in and motivation to make a change, they also need to have education and support.

What food says about class in America
I found the part of the article about regulating what food stamp recipients buy, very interesting. There is a lot of controversy about this, but if we take a step back, the government has a huge influence over what all of us eat. Corn subsidies make junk food cheap and have a huge impact the diets of Americans, as do laws regulating pesticides, trade policies, food safety standards, and rules about labeling genetically modified food. On the other hand, a government sponsored junk food tax could completely reshape the diets of Americans for the better. It is naive to think that the government isn't influencing food choices already. It is essentially a "nanny state" situation, unfortunately, one that is not in the best interest of every one's health and wellness.