Cloud: Anyone who had lived in any part of New York City that has been called "transitional", or the 'hood understands that there is a definite lack of good food options. In fact, Bedford Stuyvesant has been labeled a "food desert" by the United Stated Department of Agriculture. But now it seems lack of options is not the only problem. People who can least afford it may be being overcharged for the food they can get.
According to an article in the New York Post, grocery stores in Brooklyn have been fined for "a slew of consumer violations, including overcharging, faulty scales and failing to properly mark merchandise". Unfortunately for the residents of Bedford Stuyvesant, the Fulton Super Foodtown in Restoration Plaza is one of the most fined grocery stores in New York City. The supermarket ranked twelve on the list of the 25 most fined supermarkets for consumer violations, with $3,850 in fines for the period between June 2009 and June 2010.
Bedford Stuyvesant residents literally cannot afford supermarkets that have such a disregard for their community. Based on my own experiences with supermarkets in the Bronx and now in Brooklyn, I believe that supermarkets in poor or working class neighborhoods sell customers produce that spoils quicker. My husband and I decided while living in the Bronx that we would only buy dry goods that were on sale in the local supermarket, and we traveled outside the neighborhood for meat and produce. But now it seems that these supermarkets are taking advantage of people who cannot travel outside the neighborhood and comparison shop, like senior citizens or people on fixed incomes. Disgusting.
Silver Lining: The supermarket chains may not care, but our residents do! One of the most exciting parts about living in Brooklyn is the current vibe centered on local food source development. We have options beyond the supermarkets that are healthier and less expensive:
Do you have any great neighborhood food resources? Leave a comment, and we can build a list.
According to an article in the New York Post, grocery stores in Brooklyn have been fined for "a slew of consumer violations, including overcharging, faulty scales and failing to properly mark merchandise". Unfortunately for the residents of Bedford Stuyvesant, the Fulton Super Foodtown in Restoration Plaza is one of the most fined grocery stores in New York City. The supermarket ranked twelve on the list of the 25 most fined supermarkets for consumer violations, with $3,850 in fines for the period between June 2009 and June 2010.
Bedford Stuyvesant residents literally cannot afford supermarkets that have such a disregard for their community. Based on my own experiences with supermarkets in the Bronx and now in Brooklyn, I believe that supermarkets in poor or working class neighborhoods sell customers produce that spoils quicker. My husband and I decided while living in the Bronx that we would only buy dry goods that were on sale in the local supermarket, and we traveled outside the neighborhood for meat and produce. But now it seems that these supermarkets are taking advantage of people who cannot travel outside the neighborhood and comparison shop, like senior citizens or people on fixed incomes. Disgusting.
Silver Lining: The supermarket chains may not care, but our residents do! One of the most exciting parts about living in Brooklyn is the current vibe centered on local food source development. We have options beyond the supermarkets that are healthier and less expensive:
- Bed Stuy Farm Share From their website: "The Bed-Stuy Farm Share delivers fresh vegetables, fruit, and eggs from local farmers straight to Bed-Stuy once a week for 22 weeks out of the year, starting in June".
- Greene Hill Food Coop From their website: "We are a food co-operative based in the vicinity of Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Bed Stuy and Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. Our mission is to provide fresh, nutritious food at affordable prices. We are a 100% working co-op – all members contribute several hours of work each month. In return, we build a strong sense of community, and enjoy prices which are significantly lower than for-profit grocery stores".
- Hattie Carthan Community Market From their website: "The Hattie Carthan Community Farmers Market is a volunteer based and led community revitalization project in Central Brooklyn NYC . Within the last six years alone, our garden has expanded its food security/environmental justice programming in order to advance community resilience to the issues of food insecurity and health disparities evident in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood by adding nutrition awareness and food security workshops, wellbeing workshops, intergenerational community councils, an international food and film festival which attracted well over three hundred community residents last year and cooking demonstrations with youth and senior populations".
Do you have any great neighborhood food resources? Leave a comment, and we can build a list.
Very true! We also use Urban Organic to deliver produce & some dairy on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. They are pretty good and not too expensive. I have heard that the farm shares are cheaper though...
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