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Some rely on ‘little more than a gas station’ for groceries

A beef nutritionist says the year-old coronavirus pandemic has made clear that some food insecurity results from “food deserts”.

Frequent images of food lines are a reminder that many people don’t have access to adequate nourishment, according to Dr. Brandon Koch, with Kent Nutrition.

“That flash moment of ‘We can’t the food we want,’ is something that I think a lot of Americans forget that a significant population, even within our own borders, experience on a daily basis,” Koch told Brownfield Ag News.

It is important to acknowledge, said Koch, that even in major cities, some people’s nearest grocery store is little more than a gas station.

“We [in agriculture] focus on our ability to produce, which is of the utmost importance,” said Koch, speaking to Brownfield following an Ag Roundtable broadcast on affiliate KWPC Radio this week in Muscatine, Iowa, “but we have to carry that down into distribution channels as well.”