Covid Has Disproportionately Hurt Low Income Grocery Shoppers, Per Study

By now, it goes without saying that Covid-19 threw the world into a tailspin.  And similarly to other global disasters, like flooding due to climate change, the pandemic disproportionately impacted low-income consumers and people of color.  Justice Sotomayor’s dissent in FDA v. ACOG was one important recognition that “minority and low-income populations are more likely to live in intergenerational housing, so patients risk infecting not just themselves, but also elderly parents and grandparents,” and that “COVID–19’s mortality rate is three times higher for Black and Hispanic individuals than non-Hispanic White individuals.”

A recent study in Applied Geography provided more evidence of Covid-19’s disparate impact by observing foot traffic at approximately 400 food retailers in the Columbus, Ohio, area.  According to the findings, Big Box Stores and stores with a higher percentage of white customers showed the steepest decline in shoppers during the lockdown.  Consistently, these stores also showed the fastest rebound in April when the state began reopening.  By contrast, the smallest shifts in in-person shopping occurred in dollar stores, stores in low-income neighborhoods, and stores with low-income shoppers.

In addition to revealing the pandemic’s impacts, the study highlights a problem that transcends 2020—that access to big grocery stores and healthy food is often a privilege for the rich.

To learn about affordable vegan options, read more in One Green Planet: 

• 15 Plant-Based Recipes With Affordable Ingredients
• 10 of the Most Affordable Superfoods
• 15 Easy and Affordable Vegan Meal Ideas For Lunch and Dinner
• Yes! Aldi Just Launched a Line of Vegan Ice Cream – and It’s Ridiculously Affordable
• Hello Affordable Grocery Shopping! Sprouts Farmers Market Announced 30-Store Expansion
• 20 Recipes That Show Vegan Food Can Be Affordable, Wholesome, and Sustainable

You can also read more about the inspirational programs working to improve affordable access to food:

• These 5 Programs Are Working To Improve Access to Healthy Food in NYC
• Organic Vegan Staples at Affordable Prices? Meet the Company Fighting to Make it Possible
• This Inspiring Program Is Helping Low-Income Families Receive ‘Prescriptions’ for Fresh Produce to Improve Health
• Compassionate Doctors Are Giving Out Vouchers for Fresh Produce to Help Low-Income Families
• Plant-Based Community Fridge Opens in NYC

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