It is a common misconception that low-income people don’t care about their diets, but there are significant barriers to accessing fresh, and healthy food, and most of these barriers disproportionately affect low-income populations and racial minorities.
Much of the problem has to do with government subsidies. According to recent data from Metonomics, the American government spends $38 billion each year to subsidize the meat and dairy industries, but only 0.04 percent of that (i.e., $17 million) each year to subsidize fruits and vegetables.
The reason why a Big Mac is cheaper than a salad, for example, is systemic. Subsidizing the meat and dairy production results in their lower prices, and when the price of something is lower, people tend to consume more of it. But studies have shown that those who consumed the most subsidized foods (high-fat meat and dairy products) were 41% and 21% more likely to be overweight and have elevated blood sugars, respectively.
Green Menu believes that having access to healthy, nutritional foods is a basic human right and nobody should be forced to compromise their health because of their financial circumstances. In honor of this, this week we donated over 500 pounds of plant-based “meats” to our good friends at Shepherd’s Pantry in Glendora. Shepherd’s Pantry’s vision is to alleviate hunger and to improve the well-being of those living in the San Gabriel Valley.
Many thanks to BeLeaf Corporation (who make vegan products that contain NO eggs, milk, alcohol, preservatives, animal or GMO ingredients) for making this donation possible.
政府補貼項目會影響我們的食物選擇嗎？ 一般普遍認為低收入人群並不在意他們的飲食，因為獲取新鮮健康的食物會造成他們的負擔，但真正這類問題是與政府補貼項目有關。 根據Metonomics的最新數據，美國政府每年花費380億美元補貼於肉類和奶製品行業，但每年僅花費0.04％（即1,700萬美元）補貼水果和蔬菜。
例如，大麥克漢堡比沙拉便宜的原因是全面性的。 由於對肉類和奶製品進行補貼會導致其價格降低，而當某種產品的價格降低時，人們往往會消費更多。 但據研究表示，食用補貼最高的食物（高脂肉和奶製品）造成超重和血糖升高的問題可能性更高。
Green Menu相信獲得健康、營養的食物是基本人權，任何人都不得因其經濟狀況而被迫損害其健康。 為了表示我們的敬意，上週我們捐贈給位於Glendora的Shepherd’s Pantry的好夥伴500多磅的植物性肉食品。 他們的願景是減輕飢餓並改善南加聖蓋博谷居民的生活。
本次活動非常感謝BeLeaf Corporation（該公司生產的純素食產品不含雞蛋、牛奶、酒精、防腐劑、動物或GMO成分）的支持與合作，讓這項捐贈行動順利完成。
