Agenda - Disparities and access to healthy food in the United States Essay

Agenda - Disparities and access to healthy food in the United States - Essay Example On the other hand, the healthy foods are very expensive compared to the unhealthy ones leading people to opt for the cheaper food and especially in the hard economic times (Smith, et al. 2013). This disparity in access to healthy food in the nation needs to be addressed immediately if the mortality rates from unhealthy eating habits are to reduce. This issue is more important than other agendas as it is in regards to the survival of human beings. Humans need food in order to live, be healthy enough to work as well as to reproduce. Without the necessary balanced diet food for every individual in the nation, the productivity will reduce and mortality will increase as has been established above. A nation cannot be built when people are unhealthy and if this agenda is not taken seriously and overlooked, then the economy of the nation will start plummeting. The issue is not about food scarcity as per se but rather about healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables which are available in the grocery stores. The ones being sold in supermarkets are organic in nature and not many Americans can be able to afford them. When people fail to afford, it means their access is curtailed and the other option is to purchase the unhealthy food that is cheaper and accessible (Smith, et al. 2013). Support for the agenda is needed to not only reduce the disparity but the access to healthy food as well. The support can be structural or economic and can be offered by the government which has a lot of influence as well as work in conjunction with the private sector which has more resources. The support to reduce and completely eliminate the issue of disparity as well as access to healthy foods is a joint effort. The government alone cannot be able to support the issue on its own. Farmers need to be encouraged to grow more of these healthy foods to curb the demand (Larson, Story and Nelson, 2009). With the supply being in plenty,