Some Thoughts on Good Food

“People need to get over the idea that local food should be cheap.” - Diane Dempster, Charlie's Produce

Truer words were never spoken. But how do we reconcile the need for a vibrant local food economy with the inability of so many in our communities to afford healthful, nutritious food?

I just finished watching Good Food, the illuminating documentary by Melissa Young and Mark Dworkin that aired on KCTS and was struck by the passion and the care our region’s farmers take in producing the food they sell. The PNW is blessed with great abundance from local ranches and dairies, fisheries, fruit and vegetable growers. We even have folks growing local grains that make it to our own groceries, bakeries and pizza shops rather than getting shipped overseas. The question is can everyone in the community truly participate in a sustainable food system?

As many in the film suggest, building a resilient local food system means recognizing the value of each element that goes into our food production. This means paying farm workers good wages and treating them respectfully. It means careful treatment of animals. It also means respecting the land and growing food in a way that replenishes the soil rather than depleting it. While many of us are eager to support this way of growing our food, few of us realize the costs associated with stepping away from industrialized food production. A sustainable food system is much more labor intensive. It requires a deep knowledge of soil nutrients, crop rotation, natural pest management. Cheap chemical pesticides must be replaced by workers in the field, pulling weeds and monitoring pests by hand. When the true costs of food production are understood, it becomes more apparent why a product is priced the way it is.

This is all well and good for producers. They work hard to provide fresh, healthful food and keep local economies going by connecting to local equipment suppliers, mechanics, retailers, etc. They deserve the price they ask and our gratitude to boot.

But what about those who simply can’t afford to pay that price? Many folks advocate for food bank gardens, gleaning programs, home and community gardens. These options do provide for many low-income families, but what does it say about our society that low income families must rely on charity or grow their own fresh food rather than participate in the mainstream food economy? When did access to healthful food become a privilege?

Of course we know that hunger and food insecurity are income issues. Folks who don’t make decent wages will purchase whatever they can afford. Often this means highly processed, cheap food with poor nutritional value. Thankfully there is growing support for some low income families to have access to better food. Through programs like the WIC Farmer Market coupons and Senior Farmer Market coupons, and SNAP, many families can use their food assistance to purchase fresh foods either at area farmers markets or at their local food retailer. The Washington State Farm-to-School program has given priority to Washington grown produce for school district purchases, which ensures that those kids for whom school lunch is the most reliable meal will get more access to fresh produce.

There’s another movement afoot that can help increase access to healthy food for low income families. Healthy corner store efforts seek to increase the amount of fresh and healthy food available at neighborhood stores and to decrease shelf space for unhealthy foods. The emphasis here isn’t necessarily on local, although most efforts do seek to include at least a few locally sourced items on the shelves. The main objective is to increase healthful options in neighborhoods where fast food predominates or where access to fresh food is simply not available. In cities across the country, advocates are finding creative ways to get produce, eggs, low-fat milk and whole grain products onto corner store shelves. A recent adaptation to this work is to assist corner stores in becoming certified as WIC vendors, which requires store owners to carry an array of healthful food choices, including fresh fruits and vegetables. An incentive for store owners is that the new product selection can attract other customers who may have been doing their food shopping away from the neighborhood.

No one is suggesting that local food should be cheap. There are dozens of reasons to support our region’s food producers and to advocate for their long term viability. But the reality is that for many families, local food is unaffordable. While food assistance programs and healthy food retail projects don’t address the affordability of local food for low-income families, they do help ensure that healthful food isn’t completely out of reach.