OT is IT!

abbyjean:

A new study from Drexel University researchers published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine shows that when stores in poor neighborhoods do get fresh produce, it is more likely to be close to spoiling or have the potential to make people sick. After buying salad, strawberries, cucumbers and watermelon repeatedly over 15 months in the Philadelphia area, the scientists found that mold, microorganisms and bacteria were all more likely to be present on produce purchased from stores in poor neighborhoods than in wealthier ones. In other words, if you are a poor Philadelphian buying fruits and vegetables in your own neighborhood, chances are your produce will spoil faster and may give you food poisoning.

In terms of social justice and OT in the community, this could be an important consideration for healthy eating groups.

I’ve noticed this in my own neighborhood (around school; it’s largely low-socioeconomic area). I thought shopping at the local places would make me feel more at home in a new neighborhood and get me in sync with the local culture (majority - or close to - Hispanic population).  I went in the shops, and never mind feeling embaressed because I know so little Spanish (and what I do know is terrible), the food was either spoiling or off enough that I would never buy it (I once picked up a box of strawberries and the whole bottom was covered in green fuzz.).  I go to Whole Foods downtown and everything’s super fresh.

I figured that living in a metropolitan area would give the shops close to equal access to the imports and produce that must flow through the city 24/7.  Not so, and this study just confirms what I’ve experienced for myself.