Nutrition

A critical step in improving the health of our communities is increasing access to nutritious foods and encouraging healthy eating habits. To accomplish this, we need to expand nutrition education and access to healthy foods in our communities. But too often minority and low-income families are disproportionately affected by food insecurity.

Today, more than a quarter of African American families have a hard time affording nutritious foods – nearly three times that of white families. Typically, the most available food sources in minority communities are fast foods that contribute to poor dietary outcomes. According to the Department of Agriculture, almost 10 percent of the U.S., or 29.7 million Americans, live in low-income “food deserts” - areas where the closest grocery store is at least one mile away, leaving over 2.1 million families without ready access to affordable, nutritious food.

The CBC Health Braintrust is working to ensure that African American families have access to healthy and affordable foods – regardless of income level or geography.