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Because they have access to only poor quality foods. There may not be calorie scarcity but there is nutrition scarcity. And yes, for some there's also "food in

Because they have access to only poor quality foods. There may not be calorie scarcity but there is nutrition scarcity. And yes, for some there's also "food insecurity" which is not knowing where your next meal is coming from or having to choose between food and other necessities (shelter, warm winter clothing, medical care, transportation, etc.)

vinceguidry 8y ago
This talks around food scarcity without actually being food scarcity. First, you have to show that poor quality foods actually reduce willpower and contribute to further poverty. People used to fight wars on poor diets. I'm sure there's lots of military planners in the world that would love it if they could feed their army the way America feeds its poor. Food insecurity isn't food scarcity either, it's just more income insecurity. The distinctions matter because the policy you craft to fix actual food scarcity is different and far easier than the policy you craft to address income insecurity. Edit: I'm going to go against my usual playbook and discuss my downvoters. You fix social problems with policy. Policy has to affect everyone. That's what makes it policy. If you tailor bad policy that doesn't work, because it doesn't address the root cause, then you've made the world worse and not better. Giving poor people cheap ubiquitous Whole Foods Markets isn't going to solve their problems.
mynameishere 8y ago
This just isn't true. It's so obviously not true it's really very amazing that people repeat it. Go to a Dollar General in a poor area sometime. They have lots of potato chips and assorted crap. Yep. They also have canned beans, fruit, refrigerated sausage, cheese, chicken, etc. None of this is unaffordable. That's Dollar General. Most places have access to a Walmart which is as good nutritionally as any grocery store that ever existed. If people buy junk food it's because they enjoy it. Christ, even your typical gas station sells salad these days.
- learc83 8y ago
  Cheap junk food is much more palatable than cheap healthy food. > Most places have access to a Walmart which is as good nutritionally as any grocery store that ever existed. Walmart tends to avoid the inner city. If you don't have a car there generally isn't one close enough to shop at more than once a week or so. Bringing home a week of groceries for a family on bus isn't a trivial task. It's much easier to pick up some cheap food from a convenience store. > Christ, even your typical gas station sells salad these days. If you compare the per calorie price of that salad to junk food, it's much more expensive.

vinceguidry 8y ago

This talks around food scarcity without actually being food scarcity. First, you have to show that poor quality foods actually reduce willpower and contribute to further poverty. People used to fight wars on poor diets. I'm sure there's lots of military planners in the world that would love it if they could feed their army the way America feeds its poor. Food insecurity isn't food scarcity either, it's just more income insecurity. The distinctions matter because the policy you craft to fix actual food scarcity is different and far easier than the policy you craft to address income insecurity. Edit: I'm going to go against my usual playbook and discuss my downvoters. You fix social problems with policy. Policy has to affect everyone. That's what makes it policy. If you tailor bad policy that doesn't work, because it doesn't address the root cause, then you've made the world worse and not better. Giving poor people cheap ubiquitous Whole Foods Markets isn't going to solve their problems.

mynameishere 8y ago

This just isn't true. It's so obviously not true it's really very amazing that people repeat it. Go to a Dollar General in a poor area sometime. They have lots of potato chips and assorted crap. Yep. They also have canned beans, fruit, refrigerated sausage, cheese, chicken, etc. None of this is unaffordable. That's Dollar General. Most places have access to a Walmart which is as good nutritionally as any grocery store that ever existed. If people buy junk food it's because they enjoy it. Christ, even your typical gas station sells salad these days.

learc83 8y ago
Cheap junk food is much more palatable than cheap healthy food. > Most places have access to a Walmart which is as good nutritionally as any grocery store that ever existed. Walmart tends to avoid the inner city. If you don't have a car there generally isn't one close enough to shop at more than once a week or so. Bringing home a week of groceries for a family on bus isn't a trivial task. It's much easier to pick up some cheap food from a convenience store. > Christ, even your typical gas station sells salad these days. If you compare the per calorie price of that salad to junk food, it's much more expensive.