Chicago Mayor-Elect Vows to Eliminate Food Deserts

CHRISTINA VEIDERS

CHICAGO — Chicago Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel warned food retailers, including Wal-Mart, planning to grow their businesses in the city of Chicago to include the supply of fresh fruits and vegetables to underserved inner-city neighborhoods in their plans.

He made his remarks during the annual housewares industry breakfast meeting here early Tuesday morning in response to a question on how Emanuel feels about small businesses and Wal-Mart coming into Chicago.He will be sworn in May 16.

The former Obama administration chief of staff told members of the International Housewares Association gathered for the International Home Housewares Show, March 6-8, that he welcomes Wal-Mart to Chicago as part of the solution to eradicate food deserts.

“I am bringing in Wal-Mart, Target, Jewel, Dominick’s, Walgreens and all the family-owned grocery stores into my office. They’ll have to lay out to me their citywide plans for the next four years to build growth. You can’t have a major city with 600,000 out of a population of 2.8 million people not have access to fresh fruits and vegetables. It’s bad and it's wrong," he told a capacity audience that showed up at 7 a.m. to hear the mayor speak.

Emanuel mentioned an announcement last week that Save-A-Lot would open 30 stores in the Southwest side of the city. That decision will not only bring in new jobs, but it will be a source of fresh food [in underserved neighborhoods], he pointed out.

“Wal-Mart is part of that [whole food] solution as well as Fresh Market and Aldi,” he said.

Emanuel mentioned that his family lives within a mile of two Wal-Mart stores, a Jewel-Osco and a Trader Joe’s. Emanuel said he finds it “unacceptable” for those who have to drive five miles to buy fresh food.

“I think this is a moral question — let alone a health question or an economic growth question.”

By selling fresh foods to inner-city neighborhoods, everyone wins, said Emanuel. “It’s a win all the way around and you won’t be paying taxes because of the fact that 48 million kids growing up today have type 2 diabetes. That’s ridiculous.”

Emanuel said the problem can be solved with the right policy in place over the long term. “We can solve these health problems and have businesses do well.”

He fully supports First Lady Michele Obama’s healthy-eating campaign, and he praised Safeway for its comprehensive wellness program, which is the direction he said he wants to take health reform for those living in Chicago.