In this perspective, Dr. Amy Trubek and Rebecca Mitchell share insights and lessons from their efforts to transform the food system in Vermont.
Where we live in Vermont, a rural state with a robust agricultural sector, accessing locally grown whole foods should be easy. Yet families with low incomes still struggle to afford fruits and vegetables, or even find them in their neighborhood stores.
Vermont’s decision to enact free school meals for all students this year—and, hopefully, for years to come—is a crucial step to getting healthy, whole foods to all kids. But when we looked critically at inequities in food access, we realized that in order to help more families put whole foods on the table, we also have to create opportunities for local farmers.
Farmers are literally in a race against rot—they have an extremely short window to get perishable foods from the orchard, field, or farm to the grocery store many miles away. This creates high transportation and distribution costs which, when paired with low wholesale prices, means farmers who grow whole foods can actually lose money.
In contrast, processed foods are cheap and easier to produce at a large scale, resulting in a higher profit margin. This means, stores are more likely to stock them—grocery stores in lower income neighborhoods often don’t even stock any whole foods—and, as a result, consumers are more likely to buy them.
