As much as we might be making some progress on protecting people’s health, the reality is that we still have a long way to go. For example, right now… you go to any major supermarket, and the moment you walk through the doors, it is guaranteed that one of the first things you’ll see is some kind of unhealthy food. It may seem like an insignificant detail but truly, this is a systematic problem, and it goes way beyond what we see at supermarkets.
It’s like we’re being set up, it’s like our world is conditioning us and encouraging us to buy unhealthy foods. When did unhealthy food become the norm, to the point where we have to call healthy food “healthy”? Why can’t it just be food? What’s more, why is it so hard to obtain? Why is food that doesn’t kill you considered a luxury and not a right?
This brings me to an important issue going on right now. Right now, 46 million people in the U.S. rely on food stamps to get their food. But, it’s 2016 and these food stamps still cannot be used to buy food online.
This presents a problem because, for the most part, healthy foods at supermarkets are inherently expensive. Especially so if you’re living off a food stamp budget. The good news is that online stores can present a solution to this, as some of them offer up to 50% lower prices on healthy goods(1, 2). So if people were allowed to use their benefits online, they would be getting the chance to stretch their food budget significantly, and be able to afford healthier foods. But for some reason this is still not allowed.
Why is it that people can buy sodas, doritos, candy, etc. with food stamps at the supermarket, but they are not allowed to buy coconut oil, flaxseed, and other vital healthy staples via online stores?
“Treating diabetes costs the medical system $245B annually, and the cost associated with heart disease is $444B a year. By enabling people to buy healthy food with their food stamps regardless of where they live, we can help prevent disease and save lives.”– Thrive Market
Another important factor in this issue would be “food deserts”. Food deserts are, as defined by Oxford Dictionaries: “urban area[s] in which it is difficult to buy affordable or good-quality fresh food”. People living in food deserts are at a much higher risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, due to the lack of healthy food around them. In some places, that translates to zero grocery stores or farmers markets in more than a 15-mile ratio(3, 4). But here’s where it gets interesting… out of all the lower-income families living in the US, only 30% have access to a car, while a staggering 74% have access to WiFi.By allowing people to use food stamps online, not only would it serve as a solution to the food desert epidemic, but it would also enable lower income families to afford the quality food they deserve. Therefore marking a big step in our fight towards good health for all.