Large scale food retail interventions and diet
BMJ 2005; 330 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.330.7493.683 (Published 24 March 2005) Cite this as: BMJ 2005;330:683
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Simple cross cultural observation reinforces the conclusions of this article. In the parts of Manchester where there are many Black and Asian people there are numerous shops selling cheap fresh fruit and vegetables. This appears to be because the women who arrived here in the last 50 years were used to buying fresh food daily and cooking meals for their families. In areas where there are few immigrants there are almost no supplies of fresh fruit or vegetables available. It is hard to be certain what the white population eats, because they buy from supermarkets in a less public space, but I think those who cook at all eat mostly food which is already prepared and frozen or tinned. There are plenty of white people who are unable to cook the most basic foods.
Jamie Oliver, bless him, has reinforced that food and cooking is important. We should not only be insisting that schools spend more money on the children's food, but that children are taught to cook.
Competing interests: None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests
Defining access...
The authors address the issue of knowledge about healthy foods and access to them. They forget to mention however a key health determinant, namely socio-economic class. In other words, you may know what to find good food and where to find it, but can you afford to buy it? This chasm may explain why a larger number of people in the lower socio-economic classes suffer health problems (including obesity) than those in the higher ones.
Competing interests: None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests