Bayview Hunters Point residents
want better grocery store options
By Caitlin Cassady
October 29, 2007
A study released today shows that residents in San Francisco's
Bayview Hunters Point neighborhood think access to fresh and health
food is an urgent issue that needs to be addressed.
According to the study administered by the Southeast Sector Food
Access Working Group, residents in the neighborhood have been
asking for quality grocery stores for 20 years. Ninety-four percent
of the 562 residents who were surveyed say they would actively
support new food options in the neighborhood.
Over half of the residents surveyed say that they shop at Safeway
stores in other neighborhoods. Four out of five respondents said
that freshness was the most important factor when choosing a place
to buy food, even above affordability. According to the study,
58 percent of residents want a co-op market in the neighborhood,
while 53 percent say the most important factor when choosing a
grocery store is that foods be free of pesticides and chemicals.
Residents in the Bayview Hunters Point neighborhood have disproportionately
higher rates of health problems associated with poor nutrition
than other neighborhoods with better food options, according to
the San Francisco Department of Public Health.
"This survey makes clear how urgent it is that we find a
way to provide Bayview Hunters Point residents with convenient
access to the same kinds of healthful foods available in any other
San Francisco neighborhood,'' said Mark SEFA Co-Chair Ghaly. "The
disproportionate number of people here struggling with obesity,
asthma, heart disease and other health issues demands that we
do better."
SEFA is a working group of the Mayor Gavin Newsom's Shape Up
SF Coalition, and is composed of city agencies and community-based
organizations.
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