Limited access to quality supermarkets inhibits people’s ability to obtain nutritionally adequate diets. The same Department of City Planning (DCP) study found that 7 to 14 percent of Brooklyn Community District 2 residents reported eating no fruit or vegetables during the previous day. In fact, in a study conducted for the then forthcoming Greene Hill Food Co-op in 2008, a team of graduate students revealed that for Fort Greene and Clinton Hill residents earning less than $15,000 a year, 59 percent reported eating fresh fruits and vegetables every few days or less, while only 25 percent of those who earned more than $75,000 annually responded similarly.13 Research by The Food Trust determined that the northwestern portion of Fort Greene and Clinton Hill remains one of New York City’s low-income areas demonstrating the greatest need for better access to supermarkets, linking poor access to supermarkets to the high incidence of diabetes-related deaths.14 These limitations were dramatically compounded in 2006 with the closing and demolition of a 15,000-square-foot supermarket that once stood on Myrtle Avenue between Ashland Place and Flatbush Avenue, directly across the street from the Ingersoll public housing residences. The loss of the supermarket has drastically decreased competition among nearby supermarkets, which many consider to be of poor quality, creating food insecure environment for these residents.15 In search of higher quality groceries and reasonable prices, most residents trek to other supermarkets as far as a mile away, often traveling on foot. 13
M. Ackerman, S. Nayyar, K.l Snyder, and S. Thimmaiah, (2008) “Initial Needs Assessment: Fort Greene / Clinton Hill Food Co-op,” Accessed June 2011, http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=Z3JlZW5laGlsbG Zvb2Rjb29wLmNvbXxob21lfGd4OjRhZWEwYzM4M2Q0ZDk3M2M. 14 The Food Trust (2008) “Food For Every Child: The Need for More Supermarkets in New York,” Accessed July 2011, http://www.thefoodtrust.org/catalog/resource.detail.php?product_id =148. 15 Families United for Racial and Economic Equality (FUREE) and the Community Development Project of the Urban Justice Center (2009) Food Fight: Expanding Access to Affordable and Healthy Food in Downtown Brooklyn, Accessed May 2011, www.urbanjustice.org/pdf/publications/Food_Fight.pdf. 18
FoodWorks: A Vision to Improve NYC’s Food System .............................. In November 2010, City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn unveiled “FoodWorks: A Vision to Improve NYC’s Food System,” a comprehensive plan to address issues at every phase of New York City’s food system to make it more sustainable for future generations. The plan outlines 59 policy proposals that include new legislation, funding initiatives and long terms goals in five phases of food production and consumption: agricultural production, food processing, distribution, consumption, and post consumption.
Initial Needs Assessment Greene Hill Food Co-op .............................. Prior to opening, the Greene Hill Food Co-op enlisted four graduate students from the Milano New School for Management and Urban Policy to gauge the need for a food co-op in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill and the surrounding communities. In 2008 they released a report concluding that there is high demand for nutritious food in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill, especially in areas with low-income residents.