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Wednesday, July 20, 2011

We have small markets. They're called liquor stores.


(CNN) — Michelle Obama unveiled the latest push in her healthy-eating campaign Wednesday, announcing several national and regional food retailers have pledged to expand into a string of low-income markets where finding nutritious food options is nearly impossible.
“If a parent wants to pack a piece of fruit in a child’s lunch, if a parent wants to add some lettuce to a salad at dinner, they shouldn’t have to take three city busses…to go to another community to make that possible,” the first lady said at during a White House event marking the new effort.
National chains participating in the partnership include Wal-Mart, Walgreens and SuperValu, which have agreed to open or expand more than 1,000 locations as part of the effort to eliminate what the Department of Agriculture calls “food deserts” throughout the country.
A handful of regional retailers are also involved, including Calhoun foods, an Alabama-based chain that currently serves low-income communities with six stores. The minority-owned company, which in the depths of the recession two years ago was forced to cut back workers’ hours to avoid layoffs, said they plan to open 10 additional stores in the coming years in currently under-served communities. CEO Greg Calhoun as well as Jimmie Coleman, a manger at the chain, were on hand for the event.
The Obama administration is committing $35 million to the effort this year and is proposing $330 million from the budget next year.

- Weasel Zippers

5 comments:

  1. I believe that a similiar concept has been tried before, and failed.
    And thanks to your closeup up the first wookie I now have no appetite for dinner. What a mug!

    ReplyDelete
  2. "...if a parent wants to add some lettuce to a salad at dinner..."

    salad IS lettuce. without lettuce, you have no salad.

    ReplyDelete
  3. "of" the first wookie that is.

    ReplyDelete
  4. If they did not rob the stores blind in these "food deserts"more chains would have stores in the hood.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Am I the only one here that saw that Wal-mart, the corporation responsible for the demise of thousands of small businesses, is one of the sponsors?

    Blue - no shit, huh?

    Just Bob - no shit, huh?

    Enough no shits from me today.

    ReplyDelete

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