Whole Foods – Alex B. Hill

Anyone who follows news about Detroit hasn’t missed that Whole Foods is opening its Midtown location on June 5th. Young people are tweeting that they are already writing up their grocery lists, students are excited for the organic produce, and who out there can actually afford to shop exclusively at Whole Foods for their groceries!?

I know that I for one, cannot. It is exciting that Whole Foods is coming into Detroit when all of the chain supermarkets fled the city, but to the tune of huge tax breaks that the city could really use. It must also be noted that Whole Foods in Midtown does NOT address the scarcity or availability of healthy foods in Detroit. Rather Whole Foods taunts Detroit residents with the bright lights of an upscale chain food store, but no change to access in Detroit’s food system.

Classism in Slow Food

“Slow Food Detroit” was founded in Clarkston, MI – 51 Miles away from the city.

“Slow Food is an idea, a way of living and a way of eating. It is part of a global, grassroots movement with thousands of members in over 150 countries, which links the pleasure of food with a commitment to community and the environment.” (SlowFoodUSA.org)

Slow food is inherently easier for those with higher incomes. Access to better foods, organic options, and what some might call “picky” food choices favors those with extra money to spend. In Detroit income is highly correlated with race. A major reason that Detroit has limited grocery stores and high rates of diet-related diseases among African Americans is due to the fact that historically African Americans were either not considered for grocery store hiring or were hired and kept away from management positions. When the riots hit and many people left the city, there was no one with the skills to fill the grocery store void. Likewise, the supermarkets followed wealthy white populations leaving for the suburbs.

The addition of Whole Foods represents a similar imbalance in the “slow food” movement where all items are local sourced, organic, etc. with a price tag to match. Personally, my wife and I only shop at Whole Foods for wine, dessert, and food items that help manage lactose intolerance. Other than that, we would never dream of doing the bulk of our grocery shopping there. If anything Whole Foods has come into Detroit to capture the commuter market in one easy spot before they drive home outside of the city.

The Detroit Drilldown Report 2010 reported on grocery leakage (people spending grocery dollars outside of the city), that Detroit resident spend $200 Million (31% of grocery budgets) outside the city on their groceries. People may start shopping inside the city limits at Whole Foods, but I predict that the majority will take it back home outside the city.

Social Mobility & Transportation

An important aspect of slow food and access to healthy food is unfortunately transportation. Detroit residents are up against a public transit system that is broken and in serious need of repair. In Detroit healthy transportation can mean healthy food access as well. Many families that I have worked with work hard to car pool with their friends and neighbors to be able to shop at a chain grocery store or they utilize a plethora of food options: local stores, buying co-ops, gardens, etc.

When people do not have adequate transportation that also constrains their food options. If you are walking to a grocery stores that is miles away, why wouldn’t you choose the convenience store instead? If you can’t afford personal transportation, that may also limit you to low cost, high calorie food items. If you can’t often go grocery shopping that may also mean you choose items that will last much longer, which also tend to be the least healthy food items.

Social m0bility is linked to transportation, especially in economically depressed urban centers. These issues both disproportionately affect low income minority community the most.

Detroit’s Changing Food Environment

Meijer is also starting to build close to the Westside and that represents a better potential for healthy food access than Whole Food ever could, but there really needs to be tax incentives for local grocery store owners if healthy food access is going to improve. The Fair Food Network has been advocating and now “Double Up Food Bucks” for fruit and vegetables will be available in some grocery stores soon.

There are increasing food and grocery options Downtown, where the 2010 Census shows population growth, however this population growth is from new residents not residents moving from the East and West side into Downtown. Ye Olde Butcher Shoppe has called itself a grocery store, with Papa Joe’s Market coming soon thanks to Dan Gilbert, these are options on top of the new Whole Foods. The growing Downtown/ Midtown populations are not the populations of Detroit who do not have social mobility and do not face the higher prevalence rates of diet-related disease and obesity. The population dense neighborhoods on the East and West side of the city have not seen new grocery stores and in a number of cases local grocers have shut down only to be turned into Family Dollar locations.

You can quote me on this:

“more big box stores will not equal better food choices”

On January 20, 2011, First Lady Michelle Obama launched an initiative with Walmart and the Let’s Move Campaign to increase access to fresh and healthy foods. The program is supposedly bneing evaluated by the Partnership for a Healthier America, whose Chair, James Gavin said he would like to see Walmart double its US store count.

I don’t often shop in Walmart (actually I try to avoid it), but last month I had a reason to be in a Walmart store. Working in childhood obesity research and surveying food outlets for nutritional quality, I took the time to notice the advertisements and products on display. To say the least, none of the food items advertised or on display were healthy or fresh.

There were none.

Behavior Change & Food

My point is that more Walmart stores in “food deserts” doesn’t necessarily mean that more people are going to be eating healthier. I don’t doubt that Walmart making an effort to improve the nutritional quality of its food products and offering more fresh and healthy foods will have a negative impact, however it is going to take more. When a low-income family has the choice between the on-sale advertised frozen dinners or the larger amount of fresh vegetables they are more than likely going to choose the product where they get more for their money (or at least what seems like it).

“there needs to be more education, access, and a american cultural shift towards healthier eating”

Everyday I work with adolescents and their families on managing childhood obesity. We talk about making healthy changes to their food intake and often times we talk about how to shop for healthy foods on a budget. It is possible and varies in difficulty, depending on your situation. Some families that I’ve worked with went the entire six months of the program without changing much in their eating habits. Changing your food choice is not that easy.

Eating healthier is easier if you are wealthier, have greater options, and have been introduced to ideas of healthy eating from a young age or cultural norm. Classism in the slow food movement is another topic, but extremely relevant as we talk about access to healthy food, urban settings, and growing income inequality often reflected in racial disparities.

Grocery Stores in Detroit

The idea of having more big box stores address “food deserts” and the lack of healthy foods isn’t new. The idea easily makes sense; large chain supermarkets are better able to supply larger amounts of fresh produce on a regular basis if they want to. Save-a-Lot released a report on food deserts in April 2010 and has also signed on to First Lady Obama’s campaign.

For Detroit, Save-a-Lot represents a greater potential than Walmart to be able to address the need to greater access to healthy and fresh foods since there are already ten locations in Detroit, Highland Park, and Hamtramack. I have yet to be able to assess the level and quality of fresh food available at a Save-a-Lot store (coming soon).

Anyone following food in Detroit knows that a Whole Foods store is being built in the Midtown district, near the Henry Ford Health System, Detroit Medical Center, Wayne State University and on the way home for downtown workers leaving the city. This was not the step forward that so many people were hoping for when there was talk of bringing in a national supermarket. Whole Foods is a specialty food store that caters to a wealthier clientele (Midtown avg household income: $113,788), I only go there for wine and dessert. It may bring more fresh food to the Midtown area, but won’t help many Detroiters without access to healthy foods.

A new development with more potential to impact the Detroit fresh food scene is the re-purposing of a former Detroit high school into a Meijer supermarket. Meijer often promotes healthy food options, has a partnership to offer healthy kids recipes, and has a fairly well-stocked produce section.

Big Box vs. Small Grocer

Like many locations that lack necessities, people create solutions to address those needs. Detroit has a number of small grocers and food supply stores, not to mention the largest Farmer’s Market in the US. As the #Occupy protests address money in politics and the ills of corporations, we need to be mindful of where and how food is accessed. Food is a critical piece of our national health and unfortunately our national politics.

People’s needs should be placed over profit and neither ketchup nor pizza are vegetables!

Tag: Whole Foods

will big box grocers change access to food in Detroit?