Colorado’s Access to Fresh Food Draft
Access to affordable and nutritious food has become a topic of interest to the residents of Colorado. Food deserts, as defined by the Nutrition Digest, are “parts of the country vapid of fresh fruit, vegetables, and other healthful whole foods, usually found in impoverished areas. This is largely due to a lack of grocery stores, farmers’ markets, and healthy food providers” (Gallagher). Areas of Colorado such as this exist in largely rural and urban or low-income neighborhoods throughout the state. In these underserved communities, the issue lies with the ability to reasonably travel to get fresh food and the, often, non-existent retail food presence. In an article published by International Health Geographics, authors Joseph Sharkey, et al. explain that “Individual and community concerns with food security, limited access to supermarkets, higher costs for food (food …show more content…
Despite this argument, food desert areas pose a complex problem that needs the vision of state leaders to unite the entire community. In an article published by Health Affairs, Republican Governor Mike Huckabee illustrates that “Governors' positions as states' CEOs offer them a unique opportunity to encourage and facilitate health promotion and disease prevention” (1106). This type of perspective on leadership creates a mutual bipartisan goal to achieve better health in each state. Governor Hickenlooper, has spearheaded a campaign to make Colorado the healthiest state, and by doing so, food desert areas are being offered more attention and