In N.J., getting fresh food on the table

It can't all be Micky D's and those recognizable golden arches in the inner city.

An unobtrusive but consequential bill, called the Healthy Small Food Retailer Act, is weaving its way through the New Jersey Legislature.

The measure would assist small food retailers in low- and moderate-income urban and rural communities by providing them funds to increase the availability and sale of fresh and nutritious foods.

It passed the state Assembly last week by a 49-18 vote. Both houses are expected to take it up again in the new legislative year.

If the bill becomes law, funds would be distributed to a grantee, typically a nonprofit group, which would give the money to small food retailers, such as neighborhood grocers. It also would require the New Jersey Department of Health to develop a "Healthy Corner Store Program" to increase the availability of fresh produce and healthy food by these same retailers, and hold them accountable.

A poor city such as Camden is labeled a food desert, meaning that affordable and nutritious food are hard to find within walking distance.

For residents, the pending measure could prove a godsend.

"We want places with less meat and more produce," said youth program coordinator Charron Meadows, with his wife, Brittini Williams, and 1-year-old daughter, Marilyn Meadows. The couple each polished off a McChicken sandwich at the McDonald's on the corner of Haddon Avenue and Federal Street in Camden recently.

"If you don't have a vehicle, it's really hard to have to take public transportation for miles just to get to a supermarket."

So does poverty cause malnutrition, or the other way around? Can poor health because of a bad diet prevent people from fulfilling their potential?

A report by New Jersey Policy Perspective showed that 15.6 percent - nearly one in every six households in the state - didn't have enough money to buy food at some point last year.

"This is an opportunity to combat obesity and provide nutritious food in those areas that have no access to it, or offer reasonable prices to offer a better stock of food," said Assemblywoman Shavonda E. Sumter (D., Passaic), one of the bill's prime sponsors.

Research links food deserts to diet-related health problems and health disparities in affected populations, though this phenomenon has been disputed.

The Food Trust, the Philadelphia-based nonprofit, would be among the participants in the program, and an executive pointed out that just providing healthy food is not enough to change people's behavior. People have to be educated for new habits to form.

"We call it a 'community foodscape,' where [supermarket] access is absolutely a critical component, but we also prioritize nutrition education, healthy food affordability, and connecting with local farmers in these underserved communities," said Gabriella Mora, senior associate at the Food Trust.

New Jersey has an estimated 5,600 corner stores and bodegas. "We see real opportunity in working with small retailers," Mora said.

Sumter agreed that low food costs are critical if the effort is to succeed. "It's a challenge of having price points and food options to make a purchase when you're on a limited income," she said.

"If state liquor or corner stores can work with neighborhoods to carry healthier foods, then they should be provided funding by the state," she said. "The two go hand in hand.

"Poverty is increasing among children and aging seniors who are on a fixed income and having to choose between rent, prescription drugs and medication, or food," she said. "They shouldn't have to make that choice. No one should."

Experts say it's no coincidence that inner cities often lack supermarkets, pharmacies, and apparel retailers.

"It's generally because the costs to operate in these areas are usually higher, while the sales are typically lower," said analyst Garrick Brown of real estate consultant DTZ. "These locations often incur higher security and insurance costs due to higher levels of crime.

"Yet, at the same time, because these areas are typically economically depressed, they often are lower producing in terms of overall sales," he said. "Plus, . . . there is little in the way of existing commercial real estate that could host modern grocery users."

As a result, Brown said, a developer "is almost always looking at having to develop something from the ground up, or spend significant amounts of money redeveloping an existing property as opposed to just being able to move into an existing second-hand facility," which adds more costs.

Two months ago, it was reported that plans to open a 75,000-square-foot ShopRite on Admiral Wilson Boulevard had stalled. A PriceRite opened in Camden in the fall of 2014, becoming the city's first new supermarket in nearly 40 years. It remains Camden's only full-service supermarket after a Pathmark closed in 2013.

Access to a vehicle "is one of the most important factors" in whether a family can buy affordable and nutritious food, said bill cosponsor Charles Mainor (D., Hudson). "In low-income areas, this obviously has a negative impact on the health of residents."

On Broadway - the thoroughfare that goes through downtown Camden - the storefronts appear more dilapidated the farther north you go from Cooper University Hospital. Corner grocers, with such names as Durham Grocery and Downtown Food Market, line the street.

Chris Braciszewski, 37, who said he has been homeless for a decade and travels by bike, knows the area's food limits well. "Even if you have enough money, everything is either fast food or fried around here," he said, citing the fried chicken and Chinese take-out joints along Broadway, as well as his favorite hangout under the golden arches where he parks himself and his bike regularly.

"Absolutely, we need more choices," said Braciszewski, after sipping hot soup in a paper cup from Mickey D's.

sparmley@phillynews.com

215-854-4184@SuzParmley