Infographic: The Hard Search for Healthy Food in South L.A.

Six farmers markets serve all of South L.A., while West L.A.'s got 16.

By Julianne Hing Jul 11, 2013

We’ve all heard that insulting refrain that people in poor neighborhoods are unhealthy because they are choosing burgers from fast food restaurants over vegetables from farmers markets. This week the Community Coalition in Los Angeles released a bold and direct refutation of that line. The truth is that in poor neighborhoods fast food restaurants and liquor stores outnumber options for healthy eating. 

With the Los Angeles County’s Department of Public Health’s service planning areas as guidance, the Community Coalition compared healthy food access for residents in South Central L.A.–including the predominantly people of color and working class communities of Compton, Crenshaw, Lynwood, Paramount, Watts, Inglewood and Hawthorne–with food access for people who live in whiter and much wealthier West L.A., which includes Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Culver City, Santa Monica and Venice. It’s not just that healthy food is harder to find in poorer neighborhoods. It’s also that people of color are aggressively bombarded with junk food.

Click here for a full size version of the infographic.