CONSUMPTION

Overview

This chapter of GrowingfromtheRoot explores the relationship between urban agriculture and access to affordable, nutrient-rich, chemicalfree, and culturally relevant food within Philadelphia’s food system. It focuses primarily on direct-to-consumer distribution of food, whereas the Preparation & Distribution chapter focused on food processing and larger-scale distribution between businesses or other entities. There is an opportunity and deep need for urban agriculture to play a role in providing consistent and reliable sources of nourishing food for the people who need it most. This chapter promotes consumption of locally grown and culturally relevant food, more inclusive food standards, and acknowledgment of the many different ways people experience food.

WHY PHILADELPHIA NEEDS A COMMUNITY APPROACH TO ENSURING ACCESS TO FRESH, LOCALLY GROWN FOOD

Philadelphia has hundreds of emergency food providers, like pantries, that provide supplemental food, as well as many providers that serve free meals to children and adults through federally funded programs. Nonetheless, in 2019, nearly 270,000 (14.4%) of Philadelphians were considered food insecure.65

The foods that people consume are often considered a matter of choice: individuals decide what to buy at grocery stores, restaurants, or other food-related establishments. In reality, the foods that people eat are largely determined by what they can afford and where they live. According to the Department of Public Health’s Neighborhood Food Retail study, roughly half of the city’s Census Block Groups have a very low proportion of food stores that sell fresh produce, with fewer than one in every 10 food stores in the Block Group selling fresh fruits and vegetables. While gardens and farms could play a role in providing produce in those low-produce areas, only 20 percent of low-produce Block Groups have at least one active garden or farm. See Figure 6 66

Residents also choose what to eat based on their culture and background. Foods that are important or fulfilling to one culture may not appeal to another. Food and food preparation practices that are significant for a particular culture, religion, or subcultural group are considered “culturally relevant.” Two common examples are halal foods, in which animals are slaughtered in adherence with Islamic law, and kosher foods, which meet Jewish dietary laws. It is important that all City of Philadelphia nutrition standards, food purchasing, and meal provision programs prioritize cultural relevance to ensure families have access to nourishing food. The City’s food offerings should reflect the variety and richness of its people.

While food stores, food programs, gardens, and farms may be the primary way that most Philadelphians eat, public meeting participants also said that foraging can be a key source of food, medicine, and other plants. Foraging is the act of searching for and gathering food from the wild (i.e., parks, forests and open spaces, city sidewalks, and undeveloped areas). It is a traditional practice in many of the city’s ethnically diverse communities that has deep historical and cultural roots. Prior to the arrival of European colonists, Native American tribes across the continent thrived by foraging, among other means of procuring food (e.g., subsistence farming, cultivating fruit trees, hunting, and fishing). In the South, enslaved Africans foraged for subsistence. After the Civil War, anti-foraging laws sought to restrict the foraging rights and practices of newly freed Black people. Throughout history, immigrant groups have brought foraging practices with them to the United States, as a means of self-reliance and maintaining connections to the flavors and habits of their homeland.

Public meeting participants said they forage for wild foods in Philadelphia for different reasons: for economic access, for a sense of connection to nature, and for self-reliance. Six out of every 10 participants shared that foraging is culturally significant to them. Four out of every 10 respondents said they currently forage in the Philadelphia area, and 35 percent said they do not but would like to learn more.