Public Health

Public Health and Healthy Lifestyles in Imperial Valley

Imperial County is known as the Winter Salad Bowl of the United States and also has the highest rate of food insecurity in California, with one in five people unable to access enough affordable, nutritious food. Why is this so? There clearly isn't a shortage of nutritious food. There are a variety of causes, however, the high rates of poverty are clearly the main culprit. Fast food franchises are ubiquitous, while food banks and healthy groceries are scarce and/or inaccessible. This is a recipe for disaster that has already blown up in our faces, our youth is suffering as a consequence and it is devastatingly apparent when we compare our children's rates of obesity and overall health with most other counties in California. Currently, there is only one food bank in our community, Imperial Valley Food Bank, we need to do better.