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Obstacles remain, however. First, the price of fruits and vegetables tends to be significantly higher than the cost of unhealthy food, and the differences in cost per calorie are even greater. As a result of this discrepancy, any public health initiative that advocates substituting expensive food for inexpensive food runs the risk of being branded as elitist or of running counter to the interests of the poor. Unfortunately, citywide food policy councils have relatively little control over food prices at farmers’ markets, which, while cheaper than high-end organic food stores, are often similar to or higher than prices at a supermarket, even though supermarket food travels on average 1,500 extra miles to come to market. One of the reasons that supermarkets create such stiff competition for farmers’ markets is that the federal government subsidizes much of the food they sell, keeping prices artificially low.
Subsidies raise a fundamental political question: is there a conflict of interest between the promotion of agriculture and the health of the public? The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is essentially the nation’s food policy council, has been accused of adjusting the food pyramid to promote certain food industries. Federal subsidies for the production of corn, which is naturally healthy, have led to the production of high-fructose corn syrup, an unhealthy, yet highly inexpensive byproduct. Given the conflicts of interest that have cropped up at the federal level, one must ask: could this happen at the local level? McTiernan is skeptical: “I think the people on the council are going to be interested in improving nutrition and food security. Nevertheless, when you get into this area you have to be careful - if you’re promoting” one food, “why aren’t you promoting something else.”
For now, at least, New Haven’s food policy council and farmers’ market are working together to foster a new “celebratory relationship” between the urban population and fresh food. The volunteerled effort continues to recruit students and community members to assist in advocacy and policy-implementation. Despite some flaws, the alliance between the farmers’ market and the food policy council does provide a viable approach to making healthy food more accessible.
The solution to the larger problem of obesity, however, remains elusive. Countless remedies have been proposed, ranging from limiting advertising to taxing unhealthy foods to even banning certain foods. While it is true that many foods really are “bad” from a public health perspective, food policy councils and farmers’ markets together offer a new, more positive paradigm, a “Third Way.” McTiernan describes this amazing win-win synergy beautifully: “You show up at a farmers’ market, you walk through it, you see all the produce, and before you know it, you’ve learned something. You don’t even realize it…People start to understand the work that a food policy council can do. It’s not about being the food police. It’s about finding ways that promote healthy eating, that promote eating locally, and that make sure everyone in the community is food secure.” Now that’s something to celebrate.
Robert Nelb is a Sophomore in Timothy Dwight College.