Chips for some, tofu for others

A coalition of academic and community researchers compared grocery store selections in South Los Angeles, Inglewood and North Long Beach with those in the more affluent West Los Angeles. Researchers found that stores in the lower-income neighborhoods were far less likely to carry meats, fresh fruits and vegetables, nonfat milk and low-fat snacks.

“We live with this all the time in our communities,” said Lark Galloway-Gilliam, executive director of Community Health Councils Inc., a health promotion organization in the Crenshaw district that helped organize the study. “Now we have data we can point to, evidence of our frustrations and concerns.”

Researchers at USC, UCLA and the health councils group trained about 90 students and members of community organizations to survey more than 400 local food markets for their cleanliness, quality of service and foods. South L.A., Inglewood and North Long Beach ? areas chosen for their racial makeup ? were more likely to have convenience stores or small neighborhood markets than supermarkets and chain stores more common in West L.A. They were also dirtier and about 30% less likely to have good service, the researchers found.

But even more surprising, said David Sloane, associate professor of policy, planning and development at USC and one of the study’s investigators, was the marked difference in food selections among the stores. Stores in the study’s low-income areas carried about half the variety of fruits and vegetables as stores in West L.A. Also, produce items such as apples, grapes, strawberries and lettuce were more likely to be damaged or dirty. All stores surveyed in West L.A. carried whole milk and most carried skim milk. But among stores in the other study neighborhoods, some didn’t carry milk at all, and a minority carried skim or reduced-fat milks.

The study also showed that it’s hard to find more healthful food items such as soy milk, tofu, whole-grain pasta, low-fat mayonnaise, low-fat potato chips and sugar-free cookies in South L.A., Inglewood and North Long Beach. The stores in those neighborhoods were also much less likely to have sections specializing in products for people on low-salt diets or those with diabetes.

One cannot sort out causation from such a survey study. Perhaps the store in poorer neighborhoods only carry those food which their customers will buy. These data are interesting, and will require further study. Perhaps this could be a role for public health intervention.

Related posts:

1. Advice in ‘health food’ stores
2. A happy story about food
3. The importance of a nearby grocery
4. Healthier Food
5. Choosing food at the grocery store

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