JANUARY 13, 2023 AFFORDABILITY LOCAL from page 6 And as if going hungry is not bad enough, people who live with food insecurity often face the triple burden of malnutrition: a combination of under-nutrition (too few calories), being overweight (too many bad calories, often from junk food) and micronutrient deficiency – hidden hunger. This is a dual problem of availability and cost. “Food deserts” are areas without access to grocery stores or affordable food. While this is often a problem in rural and remote areas, it also affects city dwellers. Sometimes food insecurity can even be more widespread in cities than in rural and suburban areas. For someone who can barely afford to feed themselves at all, paying the high price of healthy, nutritious food — like the stuff at farmers markets — is out of reach. Highly processed junk food, on the other hand, is both cheap and widely available. “It’s not just a shortage of calories, it’s a shortage of affordable nutrients,” said Michael Malmberg, Chief Operating Officer at Daily Table, a nonprofit grocery store chain in Massachusetts. When means are sparse, quantity becomes more important than quality. The step to buying a filling burger for a few hard-earned bucks is, understandably, smaller than spending the same amount of money on a bag of kale. A luxury within reach? While local food is better than non-local food in almost every way, it is often not cheap. In fact, the kale from farmer John is almost guaranteed to cost you more than the greens that traveled 1,500 miles to grocery stores in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti. This is understandable, as smallscale producers must bear the brunt of large production costs themselves, and organically grown produce naturally has a shorter shelf life. So, who can afford to buy this green gold, supporting a local economy while also feeding their own families with nutritious food to secure a healthier, possibly happier life for them? Food insecure or not, the answer is generally: not nearly everyone. This consumer reality is of course a reflection of the wider economic inequity in the United States. But large food corporations are, by definition, driven by profit and could care less about people. Places like Argus on the other hand — a mission driven business whose stated goal is to “grow our local agricultural economy” — have a greater stake in their community. According to Rosie Estes and Tess Rian, who both work at Argus and feel passionately about the subject, the commitment to expand local food goes hand in hand with increasing food access. “That the two ideals should somehow be incompatible is false,” said Rian. The Double Up Food Bucks program, which started in Detroit and is now offered nationwide, is one attempt at merging the two. The program, initiated by the Ann Arbor-based Fair Food Network, reimburses stores for half the money spent exclusively on fruits and vegetables with federal food assistance funds, using the EBT Bridge Card, once known as food stamps. Since its start in 2009 the Double Up program has helped over 758,000 people across 30 states add more produce to their diet, while also injecting tens of millions of dollars into the local economy. Both the Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor food co-ops participate in the program, as do several farmers markets in the area. (Kroger, Meijer, Busch’s and Walmart do not.) Normally, Bridge Card owners earn one dollar in food credits for every dollar they spend on produce. At Argus the program works slightly differently, where produce bought with the Bridge Card is currently discounted 50 percent. Estes and Rian agree that the most valuable thing a Bridge Card will get you at Argus is the weekly produce box packed with select, fresh produce worth $30, for only $3.75. The price is made possible with a grant from the Michigan Fitness Foundation, in addition to the Double Up half-off deal. In 2022 (until mid-December) $6,766 was spent on these produce boxes using Bridge cards — a total worth of $53,520 spent exclusively on local produce. Counting all Bridge Card purchases at Argus last year, including produce boxes and other Double Up produce, total sales were $71,695. While harder to calculate the value of all food bought through food assistance — due to the Double Up discount on the same card — Estes roughly puts the number around $100,000. Early indicators show these numbers might be on the rise. That would mean local food is reaching more people, advancing both vendors (financially) and residents (health-wise) in the area. In addition to Argus’ mission, owner Kathy Sample also thinks access to healthy, fresh food is important. “We operate with food access clearly in mind and look for ways to improve that.” When funding for the Double Up program ran low, Fair Food Network capped the price of their reimbursement at $20 per day. Instead of simply adapting at the customers’ expense, Argus is investigating new ways to bridge this funding gap. At the time of writing, Argus customers with a Bridge Card can still buy unlimited produce for half price. Any discount over $20 is subsidized by a customer donation program and the owners. “The commitment to provide accessible produce is significant. We need more of that; let’s make that the rule, not the exception,” said Rian. Food communities, unite! Another runner in the race to end hunger in Washtenaw County is Food Gatherers. The food bank and rescue program collects food from several sources and distributes it through food pantries at schools, assisted living communities, the Delonis Center Community Kitchen and other partners — in 2021 an equivalent of 6 million meals. But despite the earnestness of nonprofits like Food Gatherers, or small businesses like Argus, the gap between addressing food insecurity issues and growing the local food economy remains. Estes and Rian think all the pieces are there, they just need to come together. "There is a food access crisis in Washtenaw County, but not enough bridges between the abundant local food scene here and people who need fresh food,” said Estes. “What does our abundance mean if it’s not accessible to everyone?” Estes suggests that a diverse group of local community members is needed “to advocate for and find solutions to these issues — solutions that are easily implemented for both consumers and small businesses.” The Washtenaw Food Policy Council has a Food and Access Policy Action Team, which anyone can join. GROUNDCOVER NEWS 11 Far from everyone in need of food assistance qualifies for the Bridge Card. To reach more people, and “to address issues of equity and food access,” Rian believes we need programs beyond the Double Up program and government structures: “This is where coalition building can really be powerful.” She stresses that the coalitions should be headed by those who are directly affected. That is not going to happen at Whole Foods or any other profit-driven conglomerate, both agree. Instead, the local food community — already intertwined with both food and the local community — need to find where they fit into this equation. There are obstacles. Some are practical; taking on a large infrastructure like expanding the use of Bridge Cards and all the extra work that entails — finding grants, program upkeep and so on — can be demanding for a small business. Financially it can be rough. And venturing into new spheres can feel like a risky business move, when adding up the cost of time, labor and marketing. There are political hurdles, too. Programs like Double Up and the Bridge Card are government funded. “So it is also important to elect politicians who will work to implement stronger food access infrastructure,” said Estes. But ultimately, local food and food access belong together. In fact, Estes thinks ”they can’t be mutually exclusive.” Acknowledging that is the first step. Author’s note: I work at Argus Farm Stop, on Liberty street. I encourage all new customers to come by.
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