Access to fresh produce isn't easy

In a recent column ["Eat your vegetables," Opinion, Jan. 30], writer Daniel Akst states that the reason low-income Americans struggle to eat fresh, healthy fruit and vegetables cannot be attributed to affordability or the lack of access to produce.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 23.5 million Americans don't have a supermarket within a mile of their home, and those who can shop in town for groceries often find retail prices in convenience stores as much as 49 percent higher for a selection of food long on canned goods and short on fresh produce.

Why travel to the next town if you can get a quick bite to eat up the block? Do we take into account limited resources, such as time and transportation? If you can get a meal off the dollar menu - why should you break the bank for basic ingredients?

Supermarkets are now beginning to follow the example that many farmers' markets have set, opening in underserved communities such as Roosevelt and North Bellport, while offering fresh fruit and vegetables at an affordable price.

Clara Gillens Eromosele

Roosevelt

Editor's note: The writer is the acting director of the Roosevelt Community Revitalization Group, a nonprofit organization focused on community and economic improvement.