One-third of persons living in the South Bronx reported that they did not have enough money to buy food at some point in the past twelve months.
The most severe hunger-related problems in the nation are in the South Bronx, long one of the country’s capitals of obesity.
The Bronx has the highest number of food insecure households, with over 417,000 Bronxites living in “food insecure” homes, compared to 320,000 Queens residents, 252,000 Brooklynites and 228,000 Manhattan residents. The term “food insecure” is used by the US Department of Agriculture and “might mean simply being unable to afford the basics, unable to get to the grocery or unable to find fresh produce among the pizza shops, doughnut stores and fried-everything restaurants of East Fordham Road in the Bronx.”
Food insecurity has been associated with an increased risk of obesity. Experts say a key bridge between hunger and obesity is the scarcity of healthful options in low-income areas.