Organic for everyone

Most college students know that it is cheaper to buy low-quality processed food than it is to buy fresh and healthy food. Some of us might be pinching our pennies while we are in college and planning on eating better once we are done. Unfortunately, many Oregonians aren’t so lucky and their budgets never make it to the next level.

Adam Drewnowski, of the School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle published an article in 2009 titled “Obesity, diets, and social inequities.”

He points out in the article that refined carbohydrates—such as white bread and pasta, as well as added sugars and fats are inexpensive, good tasting and filling, though almost completely lacking in nutrients.

America’s rising obesity rates have often been blamed on personal choices, and experts have suggested that people know what to eat to be healthy, but they choose poorly. Drewnowski doesn’t agree with this, stating that “the rapid rise in food prices has helped demonstrate that healthier diets are no longer merely a matter of choice.”

You can get more bang for your buck in the supermarket with cheap, nutrient-lacking, processed foods over fresh organic ones, and they are more filling. Many Americans, some of them right here in Portland, seemingly cannot afford a healthy diet.

Wouldn’t it be great if there was a program to help lower-income residents of our fair city shop for fresh and healthy food at some of our amazing farmers markets? Well, there is. Oregon’s public assistance SNAP (supplemental nutritional assistance program), EBT (electronic benefit transfer), WIC (women, infants, and children) and the Oregon Trail card are accepted at 30 of the 34 farmers markets in the Portland metro area.

Tokens are given out at the market’s information booth in exchange for a swipe of the public assistance card in the corresponding amount. Tokens are accepted like cash and can be used to buy fruit, vegetables, meat, bread, cheese and baked goods. Seeds and plants to grow food can also be purchased.

This trend is spreading in the Northwest. Seattle’s major farmers markets have a similar policy and Boise is starting its own program this year. This is a step in the right direction to combat many negative factors on both sides of the food fence—the consumer and the producer.

Betty Izumi, assistant professor at the Portland State School of Community Health said of the program, “When EBT service is offered at farmers markets, people participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly Food Stamp Program) have increased access to fresh fruits and vegetables and other nutritious foods. At the same time, the service also benefits farmers, fishers and other vendors who sell their products at the farmers market.” 

This process is benefiting Oregonians in need by helping them purchase the best kind of nutrition by buying fresh healthy food. When they do this, they stop supporting factory farms and giant food corporations. Federal assistance money is now supporting Oregonians by helping them eat healthier while also helping our local farmers and food producers make more profits.

The links between health and wealth as well as poverty and obesity are astounding. Drewnowski reports that the rates of Type 2 diabetes, of which obesity is a major risk factor, closely follow a socioeconomic gradient. The lowest income neighborhoods, districts and states have the highest rates of obesity. Obesity rates are increasing for all Americans, but it holds true that the wealthier someone is, the less likely they are to be obese.

According to Oregonhunger.org, Oregon ranks number two in the nation for the number of citizens that experience food insecurity. Many Portlanders struggle with their financial situations and cannot afford prices of organic fresh foods at supermarkets. Allowing them access through our farmers markets benefits their health, fights against the link of poverty and obesity and supports our local food producers.