July 2012

Food Deserts: A Wasteland of Misconceptions

Junk Food

In an earlier post we talked about the failure of the city’s green cart experiment-a bad idea that was built on a false premise. The premise? That the areas targeted were underserved “food deserts,” and that siting veggie carts in those areas would lead to greater produce consumption (The field of dreams theory).

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Throwing Out the Trash

Garbage

The NY Post had a really interesting story on the mayor’s effort to build a waste transfer station in the absolutely worst place in the city-in the densest residential area of Gracie Point on the Upper East Side. Assemblyman Micha Kellner has brought a lawsuit to stop construction:

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The Green Cart Failure and What it Teaches Us

Green Carts New York City

When the Green Cart legislation was passed in 2008 there was a provision that mandated a review of the experiment’s ability to achieve the goals that the mayor and the council speaker laid-greater access to fresh fruit and vegetables, and financial success of the vendors. The underlying assumption was what we have called the, “field of dreams theory,” the belief that if carts were placed in “underserved areas” they would be successful because all that the folks were lacking was access to the veggies.

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U.S. Expected to Reach 1960s Poverty Levels

Poverty

Yesterday, NPR reported that numerous economists, think-tanks and academics anticipate U.S. Poverty rates will reach new highs this year. The prediction came in anticipation of 2011 Census data set to be released this fall. The New York Association of Grocery Stores (NYAGS), citing recent studies and reports, is labeling Walmart as one of the main facilitators of this expected increase.

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NYAGS Praises Law Enforcement

NYAGS

YAGS praises law enforcement officers and Nassau County District Attorney Rice for their vigilance and help protecting small businesses from the black market cigarette trafficking that is undercutting their business.

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