Breaking The Junk Food Cycle

Imagine if your only food options were crisps, candy, and instant pasta. While that might sound like paradise to some, after days, weeks, or even years without access to healthier alternatives, it could quickly turn into a living nightmare.

In many parts of the world, this isn't a hypothetical scenario—it’s a daily reality. These areas, known as "food deserts," aren't places where food is scarce, but where affordable and healthy options are nearly impossible to find.

While food deserts can exist anywhere, much of what we know comes from studies in the United States. There, a mix of economic disparities, limited access to public transportation, and patterns in suburban development–have fueled their growth. The U.S. government estimates that approximately 23 million Americans, or nearly 7% of the population, live in these areas.

We travelled to South Oak Park, Sacramento, one of California’s food deserts. Amidst the overwhelming presence of junk food, we also witnessed a transformation blooming from the ground up.

South Oak Park was once a redlined neighbourhood, a neglected area designated for Black residents. Today, it’s a food desert. In less privileged communities with limited resources, businesses often view fresh, more expensive food as less profitable. Instead, they flood these areas with ultra-processed, cheap and ready-made options. This divestment leaves residents surrounded by junk food, without anyone asking if they would like to eat healthier food. Locals prefer the term “food apartheid” over “food deserts” as it more accurately highlights the power imbalances that shape life here.

This is Chanowk Yisrael, a lifelong resident of South Oak Park. The nearest grocery store is about a mile and a half from his home.

In Chanowk’s neighbourhood, corner stores dominate, offering mostly liquor and ultra-processed foods. We went food shopping with Chanowk, much like he did as a teenager, buying his own lunch while waiting for his mother to finish her two jobs.

By checking the nutritional labels, we realised that when Chanowk ate this way regularly, he easily exceeded the daily limits for calories, sugar, and saturated fat recommended for a healthy diet. We searched every corner of the store for fresh fruits or vegetables but found nothing. The only fruit available was canned and packed with sugar.

“The food industry loves ultra-processed foods because they are enormously profitable,” Marion Nestle, Professor of Nutrition at New York University, told FoodUnfolded. There's an ongoing debate about what exactly qualifies as ultra-processed food, but these products typically contain many added ingredients such as salt, sugar, colourings, and additives. They include ready-made frozen meals, sugary drinks, and packaged snacks, both sweet and savoury. High in calories but low in nutrients, these foods are knowingly marketed despite mounting evidence that their excessive consumption harms health. As Marion Nestle highlights, “There is now an astonishing amount of research from the last ten years that links diets high in ultra-processed foods to poor health outcomes.” 

Despite this, companies continue to flood low-income areas with these products, making them cheap and easily accessible. Today, “three-quarters of American adults are overweight or obese,” Marion Nestle notes. “And there’s no major public health effort to stop it from getting worse.”

Chanowk’s experience mirrors that of many others living in these neighbourhoods. In the U.S. and Canada, ultra-processed foods make up 60% of the average person’s calorie intake. In Northern Europe—Belgium, Ireland, Germany, and the UK—they make up nearly half of daily calories.

“It’s easy to look at our own lives or those of people around us and say, ‘Oh, they could avoid buying that,’ and that may be true for many,” says Charlotte Glennie, a sociology researcher at the University of California, Davis. “But when we consider the broader societal context and the depth of economic inequality, we have to remember that many people aren’t in a position to make empowered consumer choices.” Read more about this here.

“By the time my parents were in their thirties, forties, they had both had cancer at some point. Breast cancer, lung cancer, whatever the situation is. And so, of course, the doctor’s conversation with me is that ‘you’re probably at risk for cancer.”

As a full-time computer scientist, Chanowk lacked the time and resources to change his eating habits in such an unsupportive environment. But he knew he had to if he wanted to lower his risk of illness. Unsure of where to begin, he made a bold decision during the 2008 financial crisis: he quit his job and started a vegetable garden in his backyard. Together with his wife, he began growing fruits and vegetables. Today, their garden is a thriving oasis, featuring fruit and olive trees, and free-roaming chickens.

Today, Chanowk grows enough food in his garden to provide his family with healthy and balanced meals. Over time, he realised that growing food could also benefit the whole community. Together with his wife, he founded the Yisrael Family Farm with a mission to "transform the hood for good."  For Chanowk, it’s not just about growing food; it’s about bringing people together to cook and share meals with friends and families from the community. He believes in the value of being in the same room, slicing vegetables, chatting, and enjoying each other’s company.

While many locals are drawn to this approach, some say they don’t feel that they have the time to eat well, suggesting that the issue might be broader than just time constraints. Still, Chanowk remains firm in his belief that to regain control and build the society we want, we must start with food. In California’s food deserts, Chanowk is not the only one striving for change. Cooperatives like Mandela in West Oakland are also tackling food access by involving the community as both workers and co-owners.

Addressing these challenges will undeniably require more than grassroots efforts. Political action and industry accountability are essential. The food industry must reduce its production and promotion of junk food. We explore what governments could do to curb junk food consumption here. As Marion Nestle observes, “I’m not against corporate profits; I’m against greed. I just don’t think they need to be greedy.”

Ultimately, the shift towards an agricultural system that prioritises public health over corporate profits is crucial. Yet, stories like that of Chanowk show that meaningful change can start at the community level.

“I took responsibility for myself and then started to work on the immediate environment around me. And then from that point I was able to then say: okay, this is what we’re going to push into the community”

Not everyone can take the leap that Chanowk did, but his story reveals a crucial truth: change starts with the choices we make in our own lives and communities. Small, individual actions can add up, creating momentum for broader societal shifts, increasing our awareness and empowering us to push for the larger changes needed at political and industry levels. As Chanowk puts it, “We’ve got a big society out there. And I think we can plant those seeds.”

Learn more about Chanowk’s story and ultra-processed foods in the last episode of our docuseries, you can watch it here.