It's Not the Population That's Growing

The health issues in the state of Tennessee have been a growing cause of concern for policy makers across the board. Both public and private sector health care providers have seen a significant rise in food related illnesses that have put a strain on health care budgets in the state.

According to America's Health Rankings, Tennessee ranks 42 in the country in overall health rankings. In fact, the state of Tennessee has not ranked below 40th since 1990. In 2010, 32.8 percent of the population in Tennessee are obese. This percentage gives Tennessee the not so proud ranking of 48th among the 50 states. Obesity in the state of Tennessee is more prevalent among non-Hispanic blacks at 40.3 percent. In non-Hispanic whites, only 28.2 percent of the population suffers from obesity. Diabetes also varies by race and ethnicity in the state of Tennessee. 12.7 percent of non-Hispanic blacks suffer from diabetes while only 11 percent of non-Hispanic whites have diabetes.

In 2007, Forbes ranked Memphis as the most obese city in the country. Forbes contributes many of the problems with obesity and health rated illnesses to poverty rates and high frequencies of fast-food consumption. In Memphis, 24 percent of the residents live below the poverty line compared to the national average of 13 percent. Forbes considers fast-food consumption as a minor factor contributing to the obesity epidemic in Memphis. In 2007, Sandelman & Associates, a consumer tracking group, reported that the average American purchased fast food 16 days a month. Memphis, along with twelve other cities, either met or exceeded the national average in fast-food consumption.

While I’m sure that no logical person would deny the argument that Forbes made back in 2007 was irrational or wrong, did Forbes look at the correct factors that attribute to food-related illnesses. Is the issue the fact that people have an over-abundant supply of fast-food or is it more of an issue of the lack of access to healthy foods?

News One, an African-American-oriented website, ranked Memphis number 4 on its list of “America’s Worst 9 Urban Food Deserts”. What is a food desert? In the 2008 Food, Conservation, and Energy Act a food desert was defined as an “area in the United States with limited access to affordable and nutritious food, particularly such an area composed of predominantly lower income neighborhoods and communities”. The map on the right shows all of the census tracts in Memphis and Shelby County that are considered food deserts.

In 2010, a Gallop poll ranked the Memphis Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) number 1 for hunger. They reported that 26 percent of the people in the Memphis MSA could not afford to buy food for their families in the last twelve months. In Shelby County, 3.16 percent of the population either has no car and no supermarket within a mile of their home. This means that almost 30,000 people have limited or no access to fresh healthy foods.

Since the issue of food access has become a hot topic as of late, the next obvious question would have to be has the public or private market made any movement towards solving the issue? Without a question, I would have to say yes. The number of farmers markets in the city has more than doubled in the past few years. There are three now in South Memphis alone, but is that enough? Farmers markets are a wonderful thing during our growing season, which in most cases last for three to four months, but what happens when the farmers markets close down for the rest of the year? The same people that the farmers markets aim to help go back to being that percentage of the population that still have limited or no access to healthy alternatives, and since the private sector is not flooding into these urban areas with pinned up demand a new creative method to reach these people is in need.

Mobile markets like those that have been created in Chicago (freshmoves.org) and Nashville (nashvillemobilemarket.org) may be an immediate solution that can reach those people that have the greatest need. These public-private partnerships that have created the innovative delivery systems may be the future for food deserts across the country. Until large chain or “mom and pop” groceries are willing to move into under-served communities, these newly designed farmers markets on wheels may be the alternative that low-income communities across Memphis need.