User:Jrivera103/Sandbox

Overview

Inner City Communities suffer from many health issues such as high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, strokes and other chronic illnesses. .Though genetics and an inactive lifestyle can be determining factors on an individual’s health, it is important not to ignore the major impact that a community’s environment has on the residents. Over the past twelve years obesity has become a major health concern in many communities throughout the United States . The abundance of Fast Food restaurants in inner city neighborhoods can explain why so many people suffer from obesity. When a community’s diet consists of food low in vital nutrients and high in fat intake, it is no surprise why many of these regions have such a high death rate and have such negative medical conditions.

Fast Food''' refers to chain store restaurants that have expedited food service, takeout business, limited or no wait staff and a payment tendered prior to receiving food.

'''Inner City Communities''' refers to residential sections of large urban areas, mainly consisting of working class and groups of people traditionally economically disadvantage because of institutionalize racism. People in these communities are often people of color.

Barriers to Healthier Food Choices In Inner City Communities

The inability for individuals to maintain a healthy diet in inner city communities can be contributed to the lack of adequate access to supermarkets, good transportation, and affordable foods. Usually, what is offer in these communities is a considerable amount of fast food restaurants and corner stores that do not offer fresh fruits and vegetables but outdated goods.

A study done in Mississippi, North Carolina, Maryland, and Minnesota by Kimberly Morland, Steve Wing, Ana Diez Roux and Charles Poole, compared the access to supermarkets and convenience stores that were located in poor neighborhoods, to that of wealthier communities. The results of there studied showed that there were four times more supermarkets located in wealthier neighborhoods then poorer communities. The study also suggested that people in inner city communities often times have to travel outside of there neighborhoods to get quality goods because there are not enough supermarkets in these communities to service all of its residents. The field studied showed that only five supermarkets were located in 35 predominately poor, black neighborhoods, which is supposed to services 118,000 people. While in a predominately white, wealthier neighborhood there were 68 supermarkets to services 259,500 residents. This means that for every 1 supermarket in the predominately white neighborhood it services 3,816 residents, versus for every 1 supermarket located in the predominately black community it services a total of 23,582. This is a significant difference that shows that many inner city communities lack the essential food markets for them to live a healthier life.

Some might argue that people in the inner city can drive or take public transportation to supermarkets that have more variety and healthier options. Though this is true, it is less likely that individuals in poor communities own a car. Public transportation is also not always the most convenient alternative. This makes the locality of supermarkets very crucial to the neighborhood. Without convenient access to food shops, this encourages the consumption of fast food and corner store goods. The cost of food is another major factor as too why individuals who live in inner city communities would choose to consumer fast food instead of fruits and vegetables. The lack of supermarkets causes residents to greatly depend on corner stores that sell these goods for a much higher price. Individuals in these communities often pay 3% to 37% more for there groceries then residents that buys the same goods in large shops. The reason individuals in inner city communities eat fast food more then other people is not because they like fast food more. The reasons are because of the lack of resources available to them in there communities.

The Reasons Fast Food Restaurants Target Inner City Communities

Fast food restaurants target disadvantage neighborhoods for a number of reasons.

1)Low competitions. Many retail stores avoid poor neighborhoods because it is not a pleasant location to make profit. This makes it an idea situation for Fast Food restaurants because they do not have to worry about too much competition from other corporations.

2)Surplus of low-wage labor. In inner city communities there is a high concentration of unemployment, which indicates cheap labor to Fast Food operators. Fast Food managers never have to worry about not having enough employees because there is always a surplus of people waiting to be hired. (For example, In Central Harlem, it was stated that for every job available there were always 14 applicants applying for the position.) With a constant stream of applicants, fast food managers can focus on the productivity of the store and fire and hire as they please.

3)Low Rent Cost Since not many retail stores want to develop in these communities. Landowners make rent cheaper for businesses that want to invest in the neighborhood. This is convenient for Fast food restaurants because they do not have to deal with the high rent costs and the zoning regulations that are found in suburban areas.

The Ways Fast Food Restaurants Target Inner City Communities

People of color have for a long time been targeted by the Fast Food industry. Gerald J. Baldasty, a professor at the University of Washington and Jennifer Jacobs Henderson a professor at Trinity University, conducted a studied that examined the kind of ads that were shown on programs with a primarily African American cast. There results stated that 64.2% of the ads they observed were of people of color advertising goods such as fast food, soft drinks, and other low-nutritional foods, while ads that were targeted to the general audience advertised items such as fruits, yogurts and non-fast food products. . This study also examined how consumer stereotypes are constantly perpetuated in our society. For example, it was stated that people of color were often shown sitting at a dinner table eating Kentucky Fried Chicken fast food instead cooking a home meal. Fast Food Franchises such as McDonald's, Burger King, and Kentucky Fried Chicken most often had ads for product promotion that emphasized how cheap there products are This sort of marketing strategies appeals to low socioeconomic communities. Fast Food restaurants started to target inner city communities more after 1996 when the overall American population started to eat less food high in fats. This caused fast food corporations to increase marketing in low socioeconomic communities.

A Brief History on Fast Food and Urbanization

Fast food Franchises have not always had the purchasing power it has today. Fast Food became popular in the 1920’s when J. Walter Anderson and William Ingram decided to invest on the potential that hamburgers had in revolutionizing food service. They opened the first White Castle in Wichita, Kansas. The White Castles menu back then consisted of hamburgers, coffee, coke and pie. These types of items were easy to serve and were sold at cheap prices. This formula allowed White Castle to expand greatly during the Great Depression. During this time White Castle established 116 new restaurants in 12 major cities throughout the United States. . White Castle lead the way to other major franchises such as McDonald's that completely changed the way Amerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/skins-1.5/common/images/button_bold.pngicans ate. From the beginning of the late 1940s and early 1950s McDonald's stressed the importance of speed and productions. There menus consisted of just 9 items instead of their original 25 items. Burgers cost only .15 cents instead of .35 cents. . Fast Food Franchises soon started to become more popular in American society and other restaurants such as Burger King and Jack in the Box followed McDonald's in the 1950’s. . This was all due possible to the new technological advancements in food production which allow fast food entrepreneurs to sell there goods for cheap and also fast food industries close relations to President Richard Nixon and their allies in Congress who opposed new food safety regulations and minimum wage laws that would limit Fast Food Franchise productivity. In 2005, a bill was passed that does not allow anyone to sue fast food industries for there health issues. (H.R. 544, the “Personal Responsibility in Food Consumption Act). This of course was made possible by the help of congress. . Fast Food did not get much criticism until 1993, when a 16 month old child died of E. coli poisoning and 300 people got sick after eating meat that was not properly cooked. . This though did not stop Americans from consuming fast food, especially people in inner cities. In 1970, it was noted that Americans spend $6 billion on and it has even increase to $110 billion in the year 2000.

Are Fast Food Industries really that bad?

Though, fast food restaurants do have a negative impact in inner city communities in respect to health, many people encourage new developments. There are numerous reasons why. Fast Food restaurants have currently invested greatly in inner city communities. McDonald's for example is responsible for 90% of all new jobs in the United States. McDonald's annually hire more people than any other private or public organization, making them the main contributors for job openings. . Some might argue that the reason why so many people of color have such brand loyalty to Fast Food chains such as McDonald's, is because they support the communities that are so often dis-invest by corporate America. Many Fast Food Chains sponsor cultural events and community organizations. For example, East New York, Brooklyn is a disadvantage community that has long struggle with poverty and racism, and not many retail stores cared to invest in this community but in 2002, White Castle held a “Fastest Griddle Operator,” contest and donated the food to the neighborhood. Events such as this, create a positive public image for fast food restaurants that inner city individuals start to associate them with. . Fast Food Chains have also help communities economy and are viewed as neighborhood revitalizers. For example, shortly after the civil rights movement, African Americans started to become store owners/managers of new Fast Food Chains developments in the inner cities. Many young people were able to get their first work experience in these restaurants, which helped the communities keep young people off the streets and brought new jobs into the community. This is one of the reasons individuals in inner cities encourage Fast Food franchises to develop in there neighborhoods. .Fast Food restaurants help create a sense of community and help fight poverty.