Food Insecurity in Memphis

Food Insecurity in Memphis

• 23.5 million Americans live in food deserts
• South Memphis residents repeatedly express need for better food access
• It is easier to access fast food than high-quality food in the area

Economic and Social Factors

• Memphis has both significant wealth and poverty
• Vacant streets and blocks in South Memphis result from white flight and sprawl
• Former small family-owned grocery stores are now vacant, often replaced by liquor stores
• Sparsely populated, dangerous-looking areas discourage retail and grocery store investment
• Without transportation, residents rely on others for rides or endure long bus trips to grocery stores

Defining Food Deserts

• Food deserts lack supermarkets within reasonable distance for majority of residents
• A large percentage of residents in food deserts lack transportation

Personal Experiences

• De Louis Bateman, a South Memphis resident and janitor, has five children
• A nearby grocery store closed over ten years ago
• Without transportation, grocery shopping requires asking for rides or taking a 45-minute to 1-hour bus trip
• Bateman buys basic foods like lasagna, spaghetti, rice, canned vegetables, and inexpensive meats
• Convenience stores offer limited healthy options, mainly quick, processed foods

Convenience Store Realities

• Typical Memphis convenience stores offer some produce (potatoes, onions)
• However, they primarily stock sodas, snack foods, candy, and sugary cereals
• Products often contain unhealthy or questionable ingredients (e.g., mechanically separated chicken)

Transportation Challenges

• Chell William, a lifelong South Memphis resident, faces grocery shopping challenges
• The nearest grocery store requires taking two buses
• The journey is stressful and frustrating but necessary to have food at home

Affluence vs. Food Deserts

• East Memphis is predominantly white, upper-middle-class, and wealthy, with multiple grocery store options
• These include Whole Foods, national grocery chains (with upscale stores), Sprouts, and Fresh Market
• This contrasts sharply with the experiences of residents in distressed neighborhoods in South and North Memphis

Historical Context

• Integration led to many residents leaving some neighborhoods
• Those who remained often lacked resources to move

Economic Barriers to Solutions

• Grocery store operators question profitability in certain areas
• A potential grocery store site in South City was too expensive for both purchase and incentives
• The site was acquired by a local craft brewery
• It will provide some jobs but not address the grocery needs

The Legacy of Redlining

• Redlining was a 1930s federal policy that influenced lending practices
• The Federal Housing Administration created maps identifying high-risk areas for mortgage lending based on race and income
• Banks avoided investments in these areas, impacting both residential mortgages and small business loans
• Redlining maps from the past correlate with current lending practices

Health and Education Initiatives

• Training includes educating families on healthy eating
• Common health issues include pre-diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension
• These conditions are increasingly seen in children
• The aim is to introduce healthier food options and change eating habits

Community-Based Solutions

• South Memphis Farmers Market was created through the South Memphis Revitalization Action Plan
• It addresses the need for food access identified by the neighborhood

Overcoming Blame

• It is essential to shift from blaming individuals to addressing the broader environment
• Changes in health require community-wide efforts to promote access to healthy food

Personal reflections on food stamps

• A person recalls the stares and scorn from other shoppers when paying with food stamps