Macaulay Food Seminar
I attended the seminar about food sustainability and distribution to lower-income city residents on February 26. At the end of the lectures, which were given by two different women, I understood that healthy food is difficult for lower-income residents to come by. This is, of course, comes as no surprise. Especially in a city like New York where everything costs an inordinate amount of money, finding a decent, healthy meal is something that poses worry even to those who don’t live paycheck to paycheck.
My mother and I really like the farmer’s markets that come to my neighborhood on Sundays because they usually sell the most delicious fruits and bread. The main problem, however, is that everything is pretty pricey. Despite the price, my mother continues to buy apples and various vegetables from the markets. She has the option to do that, but lower income families cannot, especially when cheap, heavily processed foods are not only cheaper, but more filling. In the lecture, we were told about how food stamps are being used at these farmer’s markets so that those who need assistance have more of an option to purchase fresh, organic produce.
However, the amount of money that stamps or other kinds of assistance provide are so low as to be mostly insignificant. Lower-income families would certainly need to subsidize their spending habits at farmer’s markets with their own money, which often isn’t possible. It’s an admirable idea to make farmer’s products more available to those who can’t afford it, especially because times are also difficult for the farmers themselves. However, it’s also unrealistic, and I believe that the effort is a bit wasted.